Transcript: Mayor Adams Calls in for Live Interview on 77 WABC's "Cats & Cosby"

June 13, 2024

Rita Cosby: We are back here on Cats and Cosby and joining us now is the mayor of New York City, Mayor Eric Adams. Mr. Mayor, great to have you here. 

Mayor Eric Adams: I am here with you. How are you doing? 

Cosby: We're doing great. It's great to have you here on the show, Mr. Mayor. Thanks for joining us. 

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Good to be on with you.

John Catsimatidis: Mr. Mayor, there's so many things going on. Where would you like to start?

Mayor Adams: I think the most pressing thing that we're all watching in our city is the hate that's playing out in the city. A city as diverse as New York and where we respect the right to peaceful protest has really eroded to the disrespect of private property. We saw what happened to the president of the museum, to some of the vile language. There's one person who's talking about he wish Hitler was still around. 

You don't call for peace and you do vile actions. That is just really just disrespectful, it’s ugly. When people try to say that we don't have a balanced approach, no one wants to see innocent children die as we see playing out now. New York City is a place where you protest peacefully. You don't protest in the manner that we're seeing on playing out by some who are participating now. 

Cosby: Mr. Mayor, what are your thoughts on this new call by a number of Jewish leaders and it looks like Governor Hochul is signaling that she's open to this for a new New York City mask ban, because we see so many of these protests that we're just talking about now. A lot of them have the masks on. They're hiding their identities. A lot of people are saying, let's see who you are, to your point.

Do you believe that maybe there should be a ban on masks again? 

Mayor Adams: First of all, that's what cowards do. Cowards hide their face. Dr. King did not hide his face when he marched and for the things he thought were wrong in the country. Those civil rights leaders did not hide their faces. They stood up. In contrast to that, the Klan hid their faces. Cowards hide their faces when they want to do something disgraceful. 

We removed the ban before because of COVID. I think that I agree with those who are calling for removal of the ban, not only for the protesters who are using vile language, but also criminal behavior. Remember late last year, I called for storekeepers to tell people before entering the store remove your mask. In our transit system, people have hid under the guise of wearing a mask for COVID to commit criminal acts and vile acts. I think now is the time to go back to the way it was pre-COVID, where you should not be able to wear a mask at protests and our subway systems and other places. 

Catsimatidis: One of the big items in the city we'll discuss is quality of life. One of the things that's affecting a lot of New Yorkers are these mopeds, bicycles. They don't stop for red lights. They go up and down the wrong ways in streets. They're terrorizing pedestrians.

Former New York Governor David Paterson: None of them have licenses.

Catsimatidis: That's Governor Paterson. 

Mayor Adams: Governor, how are you? 

Former Governor Paterson: I'm good. 

Mayor Adams: Listen, I'm not the choir on this. I wrote the song.

Cosby: That's a good line. Yes, we like that.

Mayor Adams Just about every town hall I have held, my senior town halls, my regular town halls, they all talk about the illegal dirt bikes. Let's put this in proper perspective. Previously, people have ignored this problem. I refuse to do so. Commissioner Caban has been clear. 

We have removed over 40,000 illegal dirt bikes, over 10 to 15,000 illegal cars as well. We have been extremely consistent in going after these bikes. What happened post-COVID, our streets changed because of so many home deliveries and people have been using the bike. Incorporated with that, we have a lot of criminal behavior that's being used. We have a large number of pattern robberies.

When I say pattern robbery, it's not one, but a series of them. We have a large number of assaults. We saw what happened to Rabbi Miller, who was struck by one of these dirt bikes and one of these scooters, and the person didn't even stop. We saw what happened to our police officer who was shot. Two officers were shot, person had an illegal bike and armed with a gun. 

I'm all for it. We have a full court press going right now, not to harm those who are legally using the mopeds and scooters, but going after those illegal use. Thousands have been removed up our streets. We crushed them the other day so they would never be reused on our streets. 

Cosby: Everybody, we are talking to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Governor Paterson. 

Former Governor Paterson: As you remember, Mayor, Rabbi Miller, who ran the Jewish Community Relations Council for 35 years, he's crossing 77th Street on 3rd Avenue. He has the light. He's crossing from east to west. This guy hits him from behind because he looked both ways, but he didn't think that a bicycle would be going the wrong way. He had to have a titanium bar put in his leg so that he'll be able, hopefully, to walk again one day.

Mayor Adams: Yes, it's really, it's really awful. We all see it. We don't deny the problem. We're not ignoring the problem. As I said before, thousands were removed. We're destroying them when we remove them. 

They need to do some additional work. I need my lawmakers to partner with me. They've done a great job in helping New York during this legislative session. You think these are illegal to sell…

Cosby: Mr. Mayor, we're losing you a little bit there with your audio. I don't know if you're moving around, but we're losing you a little bit. 

Former Governor Paterson: I think the City Council... 

Cosby: Yes, they might have tried to interfere. 

Former Governor Paterson: I think there was an intervention there. 

Cosby: Mr. Mayor, go ahead.

Mayor Adams: We believe that you should not drive out of a location without registration and insurance from any of these bikes. This makes sure that a person is licensed, they have insurance, that way if you think you strike someone, people will follow the rules of the road.

Cosby: Yes, you sound a little bit better there. Before we let you go, Mr. Mayor, how concerned should we be about terrorism? I say this to you because of what's been in the headlines in the last 24-48 hours a lot. 

There was this one guy who was arrested. It was just a routine stop, thank goodness. They did a routine stop on the guy and he had an arsenal, also had an NYPD vest, an MTA vest, seemed to have jihadist sympathies. 

There was also these guys from Tajikistan who crossed the border that seemed on a wiretap to be talking about bombs. One of them arrested in New York also. We know, sadly, New York is often the number one target. How concerned should we be? How concerned are you? 

Mayor Adams: We should be vigilant. New Yorkers should go about their lives and not allow themselves to live in fear, but we must remain vigilant. Commissioner Weiner, who's in charge of our Intelligence Division, is monitoring all of the necessary chatter that takes place. Routine police interaction often discovers some of these actions that are happening. 

I think the real concern is not only those who are terrorists now, but the radicalization of our children. Any time you look at the paraphernalia that was on some of our college campuses calling for the destruction of America, as well as some of the hateful terminology towards the Jewish people of this city, we should be alarmed by that. 

As the police fight the threat of terrorism, we need to fight the threat of radicalizing our children. That's something we want to lean into and showing how we must live together because there's no room for hate against any group of this city. We will remain vigilant. I have so much confidence in the New York City Police Department and their capabilities.

Cosby: Before we let you go, also, I know you're working on cracking down on these illegal cannabis shops. Talk about that.

Mayor Adams: So well said. It is important that we look at what's happening in these illegal shops. We have really zeroed in on them to make sure that we're closing them down. I believe we've inspected over 300, probably close to 400 now, closed down hundreds of them. 

We have been consistent in this. The law had to be tweaked. The sheriff, they're now able to give the police, deputize the police so that we can go in and close the shop. Sheriff Miranda has been doing an amazing job. This illegal cannabis is not only dangerous because it targets our young people with colorful packages of gummy bears that's laced with cannabis, but some are laced with fentanyl in some of these locations. It's our goal, we want to close them all down so we don't undermine the legal cannabis operation.

Cosby: Yes, absolutely. So much going on. John?

Catsimatidis: My one thing is let's get rid of those mopeds and bicycles that don't stop for red lights, go up the wrong way and are hurting people. I praised Chief Chell the other day for picking up all those bicycles and mopeds and the quality of that will increase the quality of life in the city.

Cosby: Yes, and bravo to our law enforcement too. Just as you said, John, because they're cracking down on the mopeds and they also made this routine stop of this guy the other day. 

Catsimatidis: [Inaudible] go the wrong way and they don't stop for red lights, they don't do crap. I'm not saying put them in jail, just take that damn bike away from them.

Mayor Adams: It is so healthy and good when we hear common sense response to problems we're facing. Common sense is no longer common. I agree with you, Cats. It's about you don't have to lock someone up and throw away the key. You darn sure should take away the devices they use to bring down our quality of life. That is just common sense. 

Catsimatidis: That hurts them even more. And I agree with you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you. Anything else you want to tell our audience?

Mayor Adams: Now, all good, the king and queen is here from outside the country, from the Netherlands, and I'm getting ready to go and greet them the New York way and tell them welcome to the Big Apple. Only two types of Americans, those who live in New York and those who wish they could. 

Cosby: We agree, we agree.

Catsimatidis: Mayor Adams, thank you so much. We'll catch up with you again real soon. Great to have you here.

Cosby: Thanks so much, Mr. Mayor.

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