Transcript: Mayor Adams Calls in for Live Interview on Nachum Segal Network's "JM in the AM" Show

June 5, 2024

Nachum Segal: JM in the AM on a Wednesday, Yom Yerushaláyim, today is Jerusalem Day. We have the honor of having with us live via telephone an amazing friend of Jerusalem, of Israel, of the Jewish people and a great leader of course for us in New York City, and that is the Honorable Eric Adams, who is the mayor of the City of New York. Mayor Adams, a pleasure to welcome you to JM in the AM.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you, great to be on with you. 

Segal: First I've got to start with the most recent development in our community and that's Sunday's success, the beautiful Israel parade on 5th Avenue. You know the work that your NYPD and your city officials put in to make sure that everything would be safe and organized and really would come off without a hitch, so to speak, on Sunday. 

Tell us how you viewed that day of celebration this past Sunday in New York and who are you giving kudos to for keeping things as calm and as safe as it was?

Mayor Adams: Of course, it was so important for all of us because we've witnessed in the last few months a lot of hate speech, a lot of terrible comments that were being made. I think to many people that were outside the city they felt as though this was the energy of New York because you had 2,000 people who were marching and making in some cases some real derogatory comments about Jewish people in general and specifically those who are here in New York. 

I believe that display you saw of hundreds of thousands of people show where the majority of New Yorkers are and that we strongly believe there's no room for hate in our city of any kind. Then you saw the cooperation of New Yorkers which I think is often overlooked. New Yorkers, during a time of need, we all fall into a line in cooperating. No one likes to have to be scanned into public events, no one likes to have to follow specific directions. But New Yorkers stepped up. 

So when you add that with the well-organized behavior of everyday participants and the Police Department, which is the best on the globe at dealing with large-scale events. That's where the success comes from. Hats off to Commissioner Caban, Chief of Patrol Maddrey, the entire team, the men and women who lined the parade route and made sure that everyone was safe. 

Segal: Yes, pretty amazing. We thank them very much and obviously we thank you and your staff. Mayor Adams is with us live via telephone. 

Today is Jerusalem Day. You have been so outspoken since October 7th with the most comforting and heartwarming statements about the situation in Israel the situation with the hostages, even when it's come to the antisemitic demonstrations that you've alluded to here in the New York, New Jersey area. You have just gotten out there in a public forum and sometimes have said things that are not popular to all yet have been so comforting to the Jewish world. 

I'm wondering on a day like today what your memories are of Jerusalem? What your most recent trip was like? What you think of when you think of what's going on in that part of the world?

Mayor Adams: Also, those who have followed my career and know me know my position I've been taking now around that Hamas must be destroyed and the hostages must be released. We want to bring peace. We don't want innocent children dying anywhere. 

This is consistent. I talked about the war in Sudan, I talked about the war in Yemen, I talked about what's happening in Haiti. This is who I am. I believe that innocent people should not die. It doesn't matter if they're on the streets of the City of New York and they're the victims of gun violence or if they're on a global sense. I'm of strong belief in it. 

When I reflect on my last trip, it's just really, it was months before the October 7th terrorist attack and I think about how the country has been a real partner with America and we were looking forward to some real innovative ways of exchanging technologies, and how the region means so much to so many people. 

I'm a Christian and visiting some of the Christian sites, the holy sites meant so much to me. Visiting the mosques, visiting the synagogues. Religion is so important to all of us and I think there are many lessons that we can all learn from it. Not just to read, but to believe that we must have tolerance on how we coexist. 

Segal: No question about that. We also have to thank you for bathing City Hall in blue and white on Israel Independence Day, which I thought was a major statement on the part of you and your administration especially at the height of some of the rhetoric that was going on in the city. So it's great to have a friend and it's great to have a friend that appreciates the relationship with the Jewish community and with Israel.

Mayor Adams: We're consistent on many of my travels to the region and I say over and over again hate has no place in New York City.

Segal: You know that not just with the parade on Sunday but in general what public safety means to our community and really to every community, I think that's quite obvious when you're dealing with families in New York City whose greatest concern obviously is their own safety and the safety of their children. You have made this a priority for your administration to sort of turn things around compared to the way things have been in recent years. 

How would you evaluate how we’re doing, I'm not just talking about the data and the numbers that people like to quote. How would you evaluate the atmosphere now in New York when it comes to the confidence that one can ride the subway? When it comes to the confidence that their kids can play outside, that they can walk the streets in peace?

Mayor Adams: That is a great question. I'm so happy you asked that. Our public safety fight is being overshadowed by three things. We have been extremely successful, hats off to the Police Department, the men and women. They've been moving over 15,000 illegal guns off our streets, driving down crime. 

We have won and we are winning, I should say, the war on crime. We're losing the war on how people are feeling, which is just as important because public safety is not just stats but it's how people perceive the city that they live in and love. 

Three things are overshadowing our success. That is recidivism, we have a small number of people that are committing a large proportion number of crimes, such as shoplifting. 542 people who were arrested for shoplifting were arrested over 600 times in our city. You think about when Detective Diller, when Jonathan Diller was shot and killed, the shooter was arrested over 20 times and the person who was in the car with him was out on a gun charge. So recidivism is a real problem. 

The second issue that we face is severe mental health issues. People with severe mental health issues are not being able to use the involuntary removal that we would like to and the method that we would like to is really play on the psyches of people. 

Lastly, random acts of violence. Those random acts of violence play on your psyche and give you the feeling that you're not safe. So as we continue to be successful in driving down crime, we have to push back on the narrative. We all know in the media cycle if it bleeds it leads, but sometimes that continues leading is making New Yorkers feel apprehensive when these random acts happen.

Segal: We're certainly more comfortable having you as leader of the city, I can tell you that much. Two more quick things before I let you go. 

First of all my family would be upset at me if I didn't beg you to join the fight against congestion pricing so I don't know if you want to take a public position on that at the moment. As a lower Manhattan resident we're begging you, we're begging you to join that battle. 

The other thing is that look, you know that our community, every community feels this way, but I can only speak on behalf of ours, our community takes very seriously those who represent us. You've got a wonderful group of people who are liaisons to our community and I'm not going to name all of them but I can just tell you, and I'm sure you are very proud of them. 

From my vantage point I just have to mention that, and of course to Joel Eisdorfer who I know is moving on, but there is a certain comfort when you're in a community and have a leadership role and that there are good people, mensch as we say, who are able to turn to at City Hall. I just wanted to thank you for that.

Mayor Adams: You're quite welcome, and it's important not only to have people on your staff that is a reflection of the community, but for them to be directly connected to you. 

When you look at the line up of Jewish representation in my administration you'll see that they will be the first to tell you we communicate directly to the mayor and we're able to respond immediately to those issues that are important to the community. I am really pleased by someone like a Joel who has just really been a real mensch as the community would say.

Segal: No other way to describe him, no other way to describe him.

Mayor Adams: I look forward to as he transitions to his next role and trust me he will not be too far away.

Segal: Excellent. Happy Jerusalem Day, mayor and thank you for everything.

Mayor Adams: Thank you brother, be well. 

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