Transcript: Mayor Adams Holds In-Person Media Availability

August 13, 2024

Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoxpBkGliQQ

Deputy Mayor Fabien Levy, Communications: Good morning, everybody. My name is Fabien Levy and I serve as deputy mayor for Communications for the City of New York. At a time of rising tension, both at home and abroad, events that bring people together and remind us of our shared humanity are more important than ever. Over the past two weeks, the Summer Olympic Games have helped do just that. Americans and people across the globe have tuned in to watch the world's best athletes compete and showcase their national pride.

It's no surprise that the greatest city in the world is home to some of the greatest athletes in the world. So, congratulations to Lauren Scruggs, who brought home the two medals for Team USA for fencing, and congratulations to Sam Coffey and the entire women's soccer team on their fifth Olympic gold medal. Like so many New Yorkers, we've been fiercely inspired by their dedication, passion, and commitment, which is why we've lit up City Hall in their honor and in honor of all the other New York City athletes competing in Paris over these past two weeks.

While our Olympic team has been working hard to bring home the gold, our administration has been working hard to protect public safety, rebuild the economy, and make the city more affordable and livable for working-class New Yorkers. To tell you more about these efforts, the mayor has once again convened leadership for our weekly in-person media availability. So, joining us today, we have Mayor Eric Adams, Chief Advisor Ingrid Lewis-Martin, Chief of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack, Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer, Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives Ana Almanzar, and Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg. So, I'm pleased to turn it over to Mayor Adams now.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thanks a lot. You know, I was really surprised to see how the Olympians were happy to see when they won, to see City Hall light up in color. I think one actually posted a tweet on it, just goes to show you how we are a global city.

But not only are we a global city because of our athletes, but even our public protection. We're the Olympic Village of the globe, and we like to make sure that people are safe and we're just really now ahead to New York City's finest, our canines, our four-legged furry ones in Paris, the last two weeks ensuring the games were protected. And we're just really pleased of the participation in police departments. So, we want to welcome Detective Andy Barron and his partner, Canine Vito, and Detective Nick Velez and his partner, Canine Rico.

Thank you, thank you, and I've got a treat for them. Let's give it up for them. Just outstanding work. And it's always good when... I remember 9/11, how many people came from all over the globe to be here to assist us during that tragedy. And we want to do the same. It was a really challenging aspect to have that many people in Paris. But they did an excellent job with the partnerships of the law enforcement community across the globe. And speaking of public safety here at home, the numbers are clear. Crime is down. Jobs are up. For the seventh straight month, overall crime is down in our city. This year, shootings are down double digits and murders are down double digits. And we know some of these random acts of violence, particularly when it comes down to recidivists, they sort of play on our psyche.

But the New York City Police Department, under Commissioner Caban, Chief of Department, Chief Maddrey, Chief of Patrol John Chell, and really the active, energetic energy of Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry, we're just seeing some real success. 17,000 guns off our streets. And overall in July, we saw 4.2 percent decrease in crime, including robberies, burglaries, felony assault, grand larceny, and grand larcenies, grand larceny was a real problem when we first came into office, but we're seeing some of our initiatives are actually working. And this is on top of six straight months of double digit drops in subway crime, including the lowest number of robberies in recorded histories on our subway system.

So those 4.1 million riders every day are seeing the impact of how we have rolled out an initiative. We inherited a slight bump in January, and you're talking about turning a corner, we did just that. And this is the safest big city in America. We should just routinely put up that graph to see that, because sometimes we... Oh, thank you. You know, safest big city in America. My colleagues across the globe are constantly asking, what are we doing? How are we doing it with the complexities that we're facing? We're able to continue to drive down crime.

In the area of economy, we talked about ADUs, accessory dwelling units. It is important that we move through our City of Yes initiative, and we want to help homeowners, providing a living space for loved ones or caretakers. This is huge. We're talking about a bread and butter issue. If you need additional money for your mortgage, if you are a single adult, if you lost a loved one, and now you're trying to survive on your own, and you don't want to lose your home, if you have a loved one that is returning from school and want to live in the area and grew up in the area where they were raised, this is where we think we can make a big impact, and we have an affordable housing crisis. You hear me say the numbers over and over again. 1.4 percent vacancy rate. We need to do something about it, and that's our goal to do it.

Lastly, 14th Street, livability. This has been a real issue. I spent a lot of time walking the corridor of 125th Street, 14th Street, and other parts of our city that have historically had real problems with quality-of-life issues. We announced our community improvement coalition to protect public safety, improve the quality of life on 14th Street, and I'm excited about seeing how we can turn around these communities in a real way. We may not even take notice of it. I know we talk about some of the encampments that we're seeing that are coming up near the HERRCs, but the beginning of this administration, we had encampments all over the place, under Park Avenue, a highway in Brooklyn, McGuinness Boulevard, on our highways as I rode around the city.

They just don't exist anymore, and yes, some pop up from time to time, and we immediately respond to that, and particularly when it is identified and brought to our attention. We are big on quality of life, and we're going to continue to enforce that. Again, we're going to turn it over to you, D.M. Levy, but we're clear on our message, protect public safety, rebuild the economy, and make our city more livable for everyone, particularly working-class people in this city.

Deputy Mayor Levy: Thank you, mayor.

Question: So, Mr. Mayor, I have two questions. The first question has to do with these encampments of migrants that are sprung up around the city. Specifically, though, the one on Randall's Island which seems to have the imprimatur of the city, because there are two porta potties that have been set up there, and I wonder how is it acceptable that these people who have come here, who have reached their 30 or 60 day limit, are allowed to live in these encampments around Randall's Island, and there's also crime that exists there.

My second question has to do with the backlog of tree complaints. There's over 20,000 complaints to 311 that have to do with damaged trees or overgrown tree limbs that haven't been taken down and people are complaining that they come down during storms and ruin their property. So what's the city doing about that and were cuts to the Parks Department responsible for this backlog?

Mayor Adams: Yeah, and Camille will go into that, but porta potties should never be an indicator that we're accepting any form of encampments, but I'm a big hygiene person, and it doesn't matter if it's used by someone who's sleeping on a park bench or someone who's walking by. I don't want people using our streets as toilet facilities. Camille, you want to go into what's happening at Randall's?

Question: I think that the question really is why are these encampments allowed on Randall's Island? I spoke to some people there yesterday and basically what they said is there's extra police there since this over the weekend, but they're saying the police are telling them that if they're living with somebody in a tent or they have kids, they can keep the tents up, but if it's a single person, they have to take it down. I mean, I don't understand why this is okay.

Mayor Adams: Well, one thing you and I both have in common, I don't understand why our city is going through this. And what this team is doing is managing a crisis that's not sustainable, and that's what we're doing, and it's not always pretty, it's not always perfect, but we have managed a crisis that is beyond anyone's expectation that we will be able to manage this crisis. Camille, you want to go into it?

Camille Joseph Varlack, Chief of Staff to the Mayor: Sure, and thank you for the question. So certainly we will reach out to them to understand exactly what was communicated to you, but in partnership with the NYPD, Parks Enforcement Patrol, we continue to enforce the existing rules on Randall's Island against unpermitted vending, tents, and we have prioritized educating patrons on the park rules.

To the mayor's point, just because we have the two porta potties there does not mean that we are encouraging encampments. Our policy on Randall's Island is the same as it is across the city. For those individuals who are there, certainly we know with our 30 and 60 day rules that we continue to provide them with intensive case management.

We have a sort of an ongoing opportunity for anyone who wants to move to another step in their journey for them to be re-ticketed. That option remains open to them, and certainly as you know, over 65 percent of the 212,000 individuals that have come into our care have taken advantage of that and taken their steps to their next journey. So, we are continuing to work very closely with the entire team that's out at Randall's Island, and the issue of the encampments will be addressed.

Question: Are you going to leave the encampments there?

Joseph Varlack: It will be addressed. It means that the same policy that we have across the city is the same policy that applies to Randall's Island. So, we will have conversations with the folks there, understand exactly why they're there, who the individuals are, whether or not they are asylum seekers, whether or not they may be other individuals, and make sure that they're given the resources that they can move on. But the mayor's policy on encampments is the same no matter where you are in the City of New York.

Question: And the policy is no encampments?

Joseph Varlack: Correct.

Question: Does that mean you're going to get rid of these encampments?

Joseph Varlack: I'm going to reiterate the same point that I've made. We are in the process of dealing with the encampments on Randall's Island, but the mayor's policy holds on the island as well as it does in the rest of the city.

Mayor Adams: And we've got to communicate with the people, Marcia. We don't want to be heavy-handed. We don't want to be insensitive. It's about finding out what the resources are needed and navigating people there as we deal with this humanitarian crisis that we are facing right now. Your other question.

Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, Operations: Yeah, I'm happy to answer. On the trees, we have over 600,000 street trees in New York City, so there is a lot to take care of. We proactively go out and prune, cut back, get rid of dead branches of all of those trees on a cycle. But we do have harsher and harsher weather that makes damage to trees more critical than it has been in decades past, primarily the rain.

So we also have a record number of new trees being planted with our goal of a 30 percent tree canopy for the entire city. And we, of course, have dedicated staff at the Parks Department. And when we have tree complaints, the backlog is a number. What we focus on is how can we do blocks of areas, because that's the most efficient use of our resources, and how can we ensure that we're going to the most heat-vulnerable parts of our city first. So the complaints are prioritized. Obviously, safety are attended to right away. And then we move on from there to assess how we can do blocks and how we can get to our most vulnerable neighborhoods.

Question: So the Parks Department contributed to such a large backlog of 20,000 trees?

Deputy Mayor Joshi: So the backlog is a backlog that we inherited, and it's one that we're working very efficiently and using new approaches to try to attend to. But I do want to comment, we did receive one of the first awards from the IRA funding to improve urban forestry, so about $15 million to create 200 internships, about 100 apprenticeships. Those then become jobs, and they plant about 50,000 trees.

Mayor Adams: That's the IRA, not the NRA. We had the Dominican Day Parade, and this is Dominican flag, and I'm a multicultural mayor. You know? That is the smallest camera I've seen. Technology's amazing. It's all good.

Question: Are you going to the DNC next week?

Mayor Adams: Yes, I am.

Question: Okay, well, what are you planning on talking to Democrats about, and what are your concerns ahead of the November election? And then, totally separately, you have a massive backlog of FOIL requests. Will your office, will you commit to also cutting down that backlog, just like the trees?

Mayor Adams: The goal is clear that public safety revitalizes our economy, and makes our city and country as livable as possible. I think the Democrats have a good plan. They need to execute that plan and sell a plan, and I'm excited about going there and speaking with the other Democrats, particularly those national leaders who came to this city and saw what we were doing around the migrants and asylum seekers, and really applauded us and stated that no one in the country is doing what we're doing, and I'm planning to meet with a few of them.

And again, I said it over and over again, the VP has a similar law enforcement background that I do. She understands how public safety is a prerequisite to prosperity, and we need to lean into that message. We've done some good things as a party, and we need to lean into that message. I'm looking forward to being there. I was there when Obama was the nominee, and it's exciting that I didn't think in my lifetime I would be able to see not only two people of color, but also a woman to be the first president, so I'm excited about that. And with the backlog with FOILS, we're getting a large number. I'll turn it over to the counsel.

Lisa Zornberg, Chief Counsel to the Mayor and City Hall: Similar to the tree backlog, apparently, we inherited a very large backlog of FOIL requests that go back many years when this administration came in.

Just since I came in as chief counsel, I've doubled the personnel resources that's dealing with FOIL requests, and we're working as diligently as we can. We, of course, believe in the transparency that the FOIL laws are intended to serve. I will say that you can help us out. It's not uncommon for members of the press to submit something like five or six FOIL requests in a day, and you have that multiple days, so if you're thoughtful and concise and don't ask for giant things, there are ways that you can help us help you, but we have doubled the resources, and we're working through the backlog.

Question: Today becomes official the cooperation between Colombia and the NYPD. What are your expectations in terms of the migrant crisis?

Mayor Adams: I'm really excited about it. When I was there down at the border, the Colombian officials were extremely cooperative, and this is where the idea came about. I asked First Deputy [Commissioner] Kinsella and the Deputy Commissioner of Intel, Rebecca Weiner, to go down when I first heard about these dangerous gangs coming out of Venezuela, and they went down, and they really reinforced what our concerns were, and this partnership is similar to what we have done across the country to deal with terrorism in other parts of the globe.

We're going to put it right here in our backyard where we're going to have a detective assigned there, and he's going to share intelligence and really cooperate with the Colombian officials and New York City. It's a fast way to be right in the midst of what is happening so we could address whatever criminal behavior is coming out of the small number of migrants and asylum seekers that are making their way here. Hats off to Commissioner Caban for putting this up and operating as rapidly as he did, and I think it's going to really just enhance our public safety similar to what we were doing in the Middle East and other locations.

Question: Hi, Mayor. I'm going to stand up so you can see me.

Mayor Adams: Good. How are you?

Question: Good. How are you?

Mayor Adams: Great.

Question: Okay, so you marched in the India Day parade last year. This year, the Indian American Muslim Council sent a letter to you and Governor Hochul urging you to condemn and oppose the inclusion of an anti-Muslim float at the parade this Sunday.

The float apparently celebrates the destruction of the Babri Mosque, which was demolished in 1992 by a group of Hindu militants. Are you going to the parade this year, and do you oppose the float? And then second of all, I was wondering if you could speak to some of the broader concerns among some Muslim New Yorkers who have expressed concern that you haven't called for a ceasefire or you haven't talked about the suffering of Palestinians.

Mayor Adams: The parade, I know I marched in the parade in Manhattan last year. I don't know if this is the same parade. This is the first time it got on my radar when I was being briefed this morning. No one should be using any anti conversations in marching these parades.

I know I'm often critiqued about doing flag raisings. I want to send the right symbolic gesture that the city is open to everyone and there's no room for hate. And if there is a float or a person in the parade that is promoting hate, they should not. I have not been invited to that parade that you're speaking of, but I don't support hate, and I've made that clear. And to those who are stating that my terminology or my use of words does not fit into their criteria on what I should be saying, I just don't accept that. I have a long record on standing up on behalf of the Muslim community, probably a record that's more impressive than any of the elected officials.

From the days of 9/11, using my attorney to start the first Muslim officer society, to standing up when women are attacked for wearing a hijab, to marching the street when it was a [Punish] a Muslim day, to having the largest demonstration at Borough Hall for Yemeni Americans when Donald Trump did the Muslim ban.

So I'm not a new friend. I'm an old friend. And what I don't do, I don't put my finger in the air and see where the wind is blowing and who yelled the loudest. I stand up for what's right. October 7th, Hamas should be destroyed, every hostage should be returned home, and we should do everything that's possible to not allow children to die in Gaza. I've been consistent. I have not changed, and anyone who has looked at my record will tell you, Eric has been the same person around hate throughout his entire career and I'm not going to change that. And so, if you get into the word game, but why don't you say it in ABC instead of DEF, you're going to always find yourself being pulled one way to another. I'm not going to be judged by man. God judged me. And I'm sure you look over my life. I lived a life that stamped out hate. Hey, what's happening? How are you?

Question: I was on vacation and now I'm here.

Mayor Adams: Where'd you go?

Question: Barbados.

Mayor Adams: Oh man, I love Barbados. Did you get over to Grenada?

Question: No, I didn't. St. Kitts. I have a question that's finally not about transit crime. Yes. There was a scientific study published last week talking about particulate matter.

Mayor Adams: I'm sorry, about?

Question: Particulate matter. It's impacting commuters, subway riders. More specifically, it's impacting black and brown commuters. Because on average, they tend to have longer commutes. I was wondering if you or the MTA have started looking into this or have addressed it in any way?

Mayor Adams: And those are those little dust matters that's in it? You know what's interesting, I'm going to let D.M. Meera Joshi talk about it, but when I was a transit cop, there was a well-known ritual we would do at the end of the tour of you would take water drops, put it in your nostrils, and you have to blow out all the steel dust. And it was very, everyone knew that. That is how you clear the steel dust out of your nostrils, and people don't realize that it exists. As a matter of fact, Glenn, your husband and I, we always do that. And so, I didn't see that study, but that's a very interesting study. Meera, you know anything about this?

Deputy Mayor Joshi: Sure. I just want to say, overall, transit is how we reduce emissions in the city in general, right? So, the more people we take out of cars, put on buses, and in the subway, the more we improve the climate for all New York City residents. So, I don't want to lose sight of that.

But I know the MTA, and we're happy to follow up with them, was very rigorous about air quality, which started during COVID, and they have retained some of that testing, but I am sure that that muscle that they exerted extremely well during COVID, since that was one of our only safe ways to travel, is still in place, and we're happy to get you an update.

Question: Mr. Mayor, question about Jenifer Rajkumar's run for comptroller. As you maybe saw, she announced yesterday that she's officially in. Wondering, are you going to endorse her, and then on that same topic, you know, your office, as well as you, have taken a lot of steps to kind of boost her public persona. She appears with you at press conferences that have nothing to do with her district, nothing to do with issues that she's working on, and the Press Office regularly puts out statements and press releases with quotes from her, where her quote is literally the second one, even though she doesn't seem to have anything to do with these issues. I'm just wondering if you can explain a little bit what has gone into that decision, and what the strategy is behind giving her such a large platform.

[Crosstalk.]

Mayor Adams: So, listen, what I'm pleased about Jenifer, the assemblywoman, is that she works hard. And from the SMOKEOUT Act, to pushing her scooter legislation, and what we do, Tiffany's not here, but what we do is that we send out to electors to come out. Those who want to come, can come. And I think that her announcement, and we will see exactly how the campaign go through, it's early, you know, like Reynoso first stated that he was going to run, he decided not to run. And so, let the election process take its place, you know. I'm pleased with her as a state senator, assemblyperson. She has fought hard for the city, and I'm excited about that she's going to get in the race.

Question: [Inaudible.]

Mayor Adams: I'm sorry?

Question: Ready to endorse her?

Mayor Adams: When I endorse, I roll out endorsement. I don't do it here at Off Topics. Off Topics are not announcements of endorsements.

Question: So, I have a question about your guys' lawsuits with the National Floors Direct.

Mayor Adams: I'm sorry, which one?

Question: The National Floors Direct. You guys filed a lawsuit this morning against the company. So, just looking for some more information about that, and kind of what led you guys to that step. And then, secondly, going to the DNC next week, what are you hoping to hear from the vice president, especially when it comes to the migrant crisis?

Referring to the Randall's encampment earlier, you said, you know, you've been left on your own. The city's been left on their own a lot with this migrant crisis. So, just what are you looking for, particularly from Harris when it comes to a border policy?

Mayor Adams: Well, to get through, I think there was a bipartisan agreement that was put in place. It was stopped. We should get through, and I think some of the initiatives that they have put in place, we're seeing a decrease. I think we're down to, what, about 900, down to 900? We're a long way from 4,000 a week, which was just unbelievable.

And so, I'm hoping that we find a bipartisan, long-term agreement with both sides of the aisle. I thought we were there. Unfortunately, it was stymied. But in addition to that, you know my number one chant, you know, we need to find ways to allow the migrants and asylum seekers to work.

That is the big initiative, and that is what the migrants with immigration leaders have been saying to us, and we just really, we think that that's important. And so, when you look at the most recent numbers of just a little over 700, that's a long way from 4,000. You know, so that's what I'm hoping. I think the party could be the party of allowing people to take the next step on their journey. We've done it successful here. National leaders have acknowledged that, and we want to continue to show our success across the country.

Question: If she takes office, would you like to see her close the border until she sort of settles and figures out what's next with the border?

Mayor Adams: I would like to see us control our border. That's important. And I gave my recommendation several times. We have many municipalities where you have a substantial decrease in the number of immigrants. And when I speak to municipalities, they're hurting. When I speak to leaders, they state that, Eric, we will take migrants and asylum seekers because we need workers. We need populations in our municipalities. But they have to be able to work. And it's a game changer if people are able to allow people to work. If we do, you're going to be able to see a game shift in this whole conversation.

Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce: Mayor, I'm happy to talk about national floors directly. First question. Thanks for the question. So from day one, the mayor and commissioner have been really focused on getting money back into the pockets of New Yorkers. That takes different forms, whether it is deliveristas whose wages were increased in this administration to ensuring that more New Yorkers take advantage of the earned income tax credit. But another really powerful tool is protecting consumers against predatory businesses.

And so in this case, and the Department of Consumer Protection, of course, licenses home improvement contractors. They are filing a lawsuit against National Floors Direct because over the course of the last few years, we've received dozens of complaints from consumers about predatory practices, false advertising, shoddy work from this particular business.

And so we are seeking through this lawsuit restitution, civil penalties, and really we want to send a clear message that we are going to throw the book at businesses that prey on consumers and prey on New Yorkers. So for New Yorkers out there, whether it's this institution or there are others, if you believe that you have been the victim of this type of behavior as a consumer, really encourage everyone to check out DCWP's website, www.nyc.gov/DCWP, and file a complaint because we'll make sure to pursue it.

Mayor Adams: And the biggest thing outside, coming out of D.C., just talking about DNC, I think the everyday folks are clear. Affordability and safety. We need to really have a level of clarity that we have a good product on affordability and public safety, and I think that's what New Yorkers and other working class people wanna hear.

Question: Yesterday's swearing-in ceremony for the new FDNY commissioner you talked about the flames that are burning in the agency. I was wondering if you could elaborate and say what exactly you meant by that. And also you mentioned that you had asked Deputy Mayor Phil Banks to reach out to Regina Wilson of the Vulcan Society. Was it that you were trying to get her blessing on the appointment? Were you trying to get her feedback? What exactly were you trying to get from her? And why do you feel that was important?

Mayor Adams: Yeah, when I talk about using the analogy of flames burning within, there's a long history within FDNY that the diversity has been an issue. It has been an issue. And I've known Regina for, what do you say, about 35, 40 years. I've been a strong ally with The Vulcan Society, a strong ally with similar fraternal organizations within these entities and agencies.

And Commissioner Kavanagh really valiantly moved in and said that we need to diversify the rank and file. And I wanted to make sure our new commissioner understood. We have to have some honest conversations about what are some of the complaints that people are giving. These are men and women who are putting their lives on the line, and we need to hear them. And we need to effectively come up with ways of moving us into a 21st century fire department. And I believe I found the right person to do so.

And in my conversation with Regina throughout the years, throughout the years, she has shared some ideas, what we need to do. And I made sure that D.M. Banks sit down and speak with her and say, let's hear her concerns. Now, she didn't have veto power of who we were going to choose or not. But I respect her enough as a person who has been on the front line of this issue to hear her feedback. Just as I would have hoped if I was not the mayor and if someone was picking a police commissioner, with the years that I put in public safety and advocates advocating for effective policing, they would sit down and say, Eric, let me get your thoughts. And that's what mayors have done previously. Bill de Blasio did it. I met with Michael Bloomberg at the same time. You know, Mayor Dinkins at the same time that sat down and heard from me when I was the chair of the Grand Council of Guardians. So you respect those agencies and entities within the agencies that can give you some feedback.

Question: I'm wondering about FOILs. I know, chief counsel, a lot of times reporters, I can speak for myself here. I'm just a reporter, not a lawyer. We put in FOILs because press offices, whether it's City Hall or agencies, aren't releasing basic information. They tell us put in a FOIL. And I know a lot of my FOILs, the backlog from the previous administration, are cleared. So that's just my two cents.

But my question for Mayor Adams is about Deputy Commissioner Daughtry. Is he a civilian or a uniformed member of service? Because he open carries like a uniformed police officer. But I know he's outside... My colleague Yoav reported that he's outside the purview of the CCRB like a civilian. So can you clarify, does the CCRB currently have jurisdiction over Deputy Commissioner Daughtry? And if so, can they reopen the investigation they closed last year? And if they don't, when there are incidents of, you know, we see last year where he slammed a protester to the ground, who, I guess, is there any authority over him that can discipline him?

Mayor Adams: Lisa, I'm not sure. I've been out of the agency for a while. Do you know the answer to that question?

Zornberg: The question about the CCRB's authority?

Mayor Adams: Yeah. Do they have oversight? I knew there was something in the patrol guide about CCRB. I think CCRB was uniformed. Let me check. We'll get you to today.

Question: ...it was published last week. Has there been any investigation? Because I know we reached out for comment. There wasn't much, I don't think, clarity...

Mayor Adams: Investigation for what?

Question: We did a story last week about this sort of gray area, it seems. I know he's someone who open carries and does things and does events. And he's seen in public open carrying like a police officer. So you don't know at this moment who has the authority over him?

Mayor Adams: You said you asked this question last week?

Question: My colleague wrote a story last week...

Mayor Adams: They should ask a question. I don't comb them through the papers and try to proactively answer questions. So let us find out. I know I recall vaguely that CCRB are over uniformed personnel. But no matter who you are, there are oversight agencies in the city. If you're uniformed or non-uniformed, no one goes free without having some form of oversight. But we get that direct answer for you. I don't want to give you... Yes. By today.

How are you, Julia?

Question: I'm good. Two questions, actually. So, first of all, congratulations on your crime stats. They're all going down. However, Central Park has been going up dramatically. And it's been a troubling trend. 200 percent increase in crimes. 30 reported versus 10 of robberies. People, felonious assaults. It's a symbol of New York, not only for tourists, but like a safe haven for people who live in the city. What are your concerns about what's going on there and what's being done about it? And second question, given that you have new leadership in the Fire Department, are there any thoughts about spinning off EMTs as a separate agency?

Mayor Adams: Labor will talk about that. You know, Renee 'Champion' will talk about exactly our contracts and what the future is. At one time, I think it was under Giuliani administration that we merged everything together. I'm almost sure it was under Giuliani administration that we merged the departments together to get more efficiency in responding to calls for service. So we want to find the most effective way to get help to New Yorkers. And that is what we're going to continue to do.

When it comes to Central Park, all parks are important to us. Sue Donoghue has really done an amazing job and doesn't matter if it's in the center of the city or if it's in the center of a community. We want our parks to be safe and the increase in assaults, I think it was robberies and I think it was also sex crimes. I communicated with the commissioner and I communicated with the chief of the department that we need to move in and identify exactly what is taking place. And I had a conversation yesterday with First Deputy Commissioner Kinsella, talking about just this issue, Central Park.

I think it's such a vast, large area. I think we could do a better job in using drones to police the area from the sky. And there's some new technology that we're looking at that I think is going to assist us. We will roll it out when it's time to do so. But we know we have to get on, people must feel safe in all our parks in general, but specifically in Central Park, because of the large number of people who visit there. You know, when something happens in Central Park, it becomes a huge international story. And so we're on top of it. And the commission is responding accordingly.

Question: Will there necessarily be increased patrols that drive around the park or, you know, plainclothes or...

Mayor Adams: There's a combination of public safety tactics that we're going to be using in that area. We don't want to give you know, we don't want to let the bad guy know what we're doing, because I know all news all the time. They listen to 1010 to get their tips.

Deputy Mayor Levy: One thing, mayor, I could point out. So last week we talked about the 14th Street Community Improvement Coalition. We did the Midtown one. We have a 110th Street Community Coalition as well that's already active. So it's trying to address those issues specifically.

Question: [Inaudible.]

Deputy Mayor Levy: Yes.

Question: Recently, there's been several south end incidents, robberies, groups of young kids that are holding people up.

Deputy Mayor Levy: You're talking about like around 59th Street or...

Question: Yeah. Around Wollman Rink, south end.

Deputy Mayor Levy: Okay, so we'll look at, we'll make sure to look into that as well. Thank you for pointing it out.

Question: Hi, Mr. Mayor.

Mayor Adams: What's happening? How are you, Mona?

Question: I'm well, sir. How are you? So, Mr. Mayor, on Staten Island, communities on Staten Island are complaining that the city has food trucks, food trucks in Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx. But not, they are not providing these food trucks that are helping to address food insecurity on Staten Island or Queens.

So, you know, in response to that, can you or someone please explain why Staten Island is — and Queens — are being denied these food trucks? Like what what what was what is the what is the reasoning behind it? Why is it only in those three boroughs, but not Queens and Staten Island?

Mayor Adams: Yeah, I'm not familiar with this, this is the first time I'm hearing about it. Anyone familiar with...

Deputy Mayor Levy: D.M. Anne might know.

Mayor Adams: D.M. Anne is not here. We will reach out to DOHMH. If they've been denied, I'm not familiar with this at all. You know, it's the first time I'm hearing this come across my desk. So let us look into it.

Deputy Mayor Levy: Look into the Homeless Services as well.

Mayor Adams: Yeah. Is this free food or?

Question: It's free food. And actually the Staten Island Advance actually has a story about this on their website this morning. But community advocates reached out to us as well to ask you this question.

Mayor Adams: Okay, so let me check. Let me let me pull out that story. This is the first time I'm hearing about it.

Deputy Mayor Levy: Paul, you have more information on that?

Mayor Adams: Matter of fact, I see N.J. in the back. N.J., you know, you know, we are nominated for an Emmy, right? One of our short stories.

Deputy Mayor Levy: Our at night series, actually. So are you hosting the Emmys again this year?

[Crosstalk.]

Question: The migrant crisis that we're in, sir, and you've described as a crisis. Do you see a light at the end of the tunnel? Do you see that?

Mayor Adams: Yes. Like we went from 4,000 down to I think this week we're around 700. That is a huge, huge drop. I have to say there was a moment where I did not see that light or that light was a train coming right at us. But, you know, what Camille and D.M. Williams-Isom and Molly and Tim and the whole team, what they have done is just so important. And we did some hard choices, you know, having people take the next step, 30 to 60 day program. You know, we were criticized for it. But I think that when people look back over this period, they're going to see that it was one of the most significant things that we could do to get down to 65,000 from 212,000.

If we would have allowed 212,000 to stay in our care, that would have had a major impact on our budget. It would have a major impact on just the message we were sending because, you know, people should not grow up in shelters. And so I do believe we're going to see, we are starting to exhale, our fingers are crossed. But we put in smart policies and, you know, the beginning of this operation, people criticize and critique. Why do you do this? Why do you do that? We were inundated in the beginning of this.

And I think to be able to do what we have done sends a real strong message of the resiliency of the city. And we didn't do it alone. There were a lot of volunteers. I don't think New Yorkers who have stepped up are getting enough credit. There are people who volunteered on so many levels, like our principals. Our principals were giving clothing to these children. They were helping them in different levels. And so this is a real New York story. And we need to document this story because it needs to be reviewed later as the years go on.

[Crosstalk.]

Deputy Mayor Levy: 63,900 now.

Mayor Adams: 63,900, I like those numbers dropping.

Question: Are you saying, sir, that you think the worst is over?

Mayor Adams: It depends. It depends. I can only say I hope that the worst is behind us. But we're not out of the woods. I want to be clear on that. We're not out of the woods. We still have to deal with this small number of violent gang members that are in our city. We have to make sure we monitor them and we still have to make sure that we're able to move people out of this shelter type setting. And Camille and I were in Clinton Hill Saturday or Sunday sitting down with a group of homeowners. And that was my old precinct. And, you know, that was a real impact to that community over there.

And they want to help. They weren't saying that we don't realize this is a crisis for the city. They want to help and we want to coordinate with them on how they could help. But these are impacts of these communities, they are impacting the communities and, you know, basically disrupted the way of life of New Yorkers. And so we're not out of the woods. We're managing and moving people on to the next step of their journey. And I think that later in life, people are going to look back and see what this city did and that's our goal.

Question: I have two very separate questions, first on artificial intelligence and the second on smoke shops. I know you have an office that just looks at the latest technology. It's one of the areas you pride yourself on is trying to update the city. Is there a point in the near future where we'll see artificial intelligence embedded in cameras either on the subway or schools to spot open weapons? This is tech that we are already seeing in some cities. Philadelphia has it on their transit. Some schools in New Jersey have it in their schools.

And then totally separate, you and I both saw firsthand how the smoke shop crackdown is evolving. Last week, trap doors into flophouses and that kind of disgusting apartment we walked through. Where are you guys at with the organized crime end of that investigation? Because it seems like the last few shops... It's not so few. There's a few hundred, but the last few are very coordinated, organized crime efforts. Where are you guys at with really digging in on that front?

Mayor Adams: First, the AI. Yes, I'm really excited. Commissioner Daughtry, Deputy Commissioner Daughtry has been really looking at all of this new technology of identifying guns through cameras to be able to identify disorderly behavior through cameras. We have some Israeli companies that came in, did a presentation. But we want to really test to make sure that the product can produce what it can. People can overpromise and under deliver. But we're excited about some of the technology that's going to make New Yorkers and Americans safer.

And AI is going to play a crucial role. A lot of people are afraid of AI. I'm excited about it. I think AI is a game changer on how we can run cities more efficiently, effectively and in a more safer way. If you could identify a gun as soon as it is pulled out, that's a huge, huge boost. That's a long way from ShotSpotters after a gun is discharged. Now we're being proactive. I am excited about this technology that we're seeing right now.

The area of the second question... Cannabis. Yeah. These guys are getting smarter. Like you saw trap doors. We're being smarter also. But we have to... And that was my conversation with the commissioner and the sheriff. We have to go after the feeder. We can't just go after the shops that are opening. Who is the organized, as you said, crime element to it? There's a lot of money to be made. You know, what was it last time we had Lisa? How much was that that warehouse...

Deputy Mayor Levy: Over $5 million? You had one last week.

[Crosstalk.]

Deputy Mayor Levy: No, there was one last week. There was the biggest one on its own was over $5 million.

Question: They moved up that number to $12 million. It had a lot of concentrates, the Sheriff's Office was telling me.

Mayor Adams: So, you know, when you have money like that, you're going to bring in an organized element. And I've always felt that way. And so we are really looking at how do we go to the supplier? And that is the shift we're doing right now as part of the enforcement. The number of shops that we've sealed, over 907 stores. And, you know, we're finding our sea legs and we were really... Sheriff Miranda is just really active. That entire team over there, they really believe we need to do this for New Yorkers. And we're excited about what they're doing.

Question: Mr. Mayor, how are you?

Mayor Adams: Quite well. How are you doing?

Question: Good. So speaking of cameras, you know, cracking down on ghost plates has been a real priority in your administration. There's a new RFP out for an operator for the automated enforcement cameras. But it does not include the requirement that it identify temporary plates, ghost plates, what have you. And there's no mechanism to work with law enforcement when those events, you know, speeding, running red lights are rejected to escalate it. So why isn't that in the RFP?

And secondly, about migrant crisis, you mentioned you met with residents in Clinton Hill. What did you discuss? And are there any plans to scale back that shelter there? And also in terms of the violence on Randall's Island, you did that raid. It really didn't turn up anything. So how are you going to deal with the violence there?

Mayor Adams: The cameras, I mean, the red light cameras, Meera go into that. But Deputy Mayor Banks, he has been like a dog with a bone on this. You know, he has an initiative that he's going to be rolling out that we're just finalizing it. But we have to zero in on the paper plates and the ghost cars. They're participating in robberies, as the New York Post story showed. It's costing us millions of dollars and it was ignored for so long. But we are zeroing in on the paper plates and the ghost cars. They've become really comfortable and we have taken some drastic and some important steps. And we have another layer, too, that I'm really excited about doing.

In Clinton Hill, it was about the quality of life that the residents were experiencing and how they wanted to collaborate with us. And what we found fascinating, and Camille, you can go also, is that how many everyday New Yorkers really don't understand what we can do and what we can't do? When we walked out of the room and people realized that we had no control on the number of buses that come in, we can't stop them from coming in, we're required to give three meals a day, we're required to educate over 40,000 children, we're not allowed to give them work unless they have the work authorization, which is not a lot, and we can't even allow them to volunteer and get a stipend. And so when we sat down with everyday people in that room and we explained it to them, they came out with a whole other energy. And that's just a small pocket of people. But there's a lot of New Yorkers that really did not understand that the city, we have limited powers on what we can do. And that room of residents, some were store owners, business owners, lived on the block, lived in the community, they walked away with an entirely different appreciation of what the city is doing. Camille, you want to touch on that?

Joseph Varlack: Sure. So first I want to say thank you to that group of New Yorkers that invited us into their homes to have a conversation. They reiterated their appreciation for the hard work that the city is doing, led by the mayor, to take care of our new guests. But I think what was most important is that they wanted to work with us in partnership to figure out what we could do, and they reiterated their commitment to remaining in New York and to figuring out how we could work together to move things forward.

So certainly we had an opportunity to share with them some information that they just didn't have. We talked about, in terms of what we can do and what we can't do, to the mayor's point. And we also just talked about the size of the shelter, right? And so we know that. The mayor has said over and over and over again, this isn't fair to anyone. It's not fair to New Yorkers. It's not fair to our communities. But it's not fair to asylum seekers who should not be raising their children in hotel rooms or in tents in the middle of fields.

And so our commitment to them, which we had already communicated because we have been working with this group, we've come and shown up at several sessions that they've had in the neighborhood, is that we are always looking for ways to try to reduce the census at some of our largest locations and find alternate locations where we can spread folks out so that there isn't such a large concentration. So we will continue to do that as we have been, but also making sure that they understood sort of what we are up against and what we continue to be up against as we work our way through this humanitarian crisis.

Question: The project that Phil Banks is working on with the cameras, would that also apply to the speed and red light cameras? Or is that separate and something that's just NYPD related? Because is there going to be some type of mechanism where the DOT cameras somehow connect with NYPD or DOT works with NYPD? Because you've got these millions or, you know, you're losing millions of dollars, but also there are all these rejections because these cameras can't identify these plates. So why wasn't this included in an RFP, the requirement that they do do this?

Deputy Mayor Joshi: So we would like nothing better than to be able to hire a vendor that is able to take a picture of a ghost plate or a temporary plate, run it and identify who the driver is. But that is not possible today. That is law enforcement information. And the vendors only can access databases of actual registered license plates and often not even the temporary plates. So they're limited in the matches that they can do.

But we are using every tool we have because the problem is real. So we have a multi-agency task force. It's both state and local that have been doing blitzes to really send the message. They have done almost 500 arrests now, probably almost almost 2,000 vehicle seizures and millions of dollars in fines. So this is truly a NYPD and DOT combined operation. They certainly work together. The footage is there on the cameras, but there is no way today to link it to identify who the person behind the wheel is.

Question: There's no way to [inaudible] that now. [Inaudible] required to store the footage and they just send it over to NYPD so they can do an investigation.

Deputy Mayor Joshi: There are legal parameters around what the speed cameras can be used for. It's very prescribed and that comes from the state. We have to go to the state to get authority each time. We recently got the authority to expand them for the first time 24/7. Otherwise, we weren't capturing any night hours. Today they can only go within a quarter mile of a school. We know a lot of reckless behavior happens well beyond those boundaries. But without additional state authority, we can't actually put speed cameras in different places. And we can only use the footage for certain specific violations. It's very prescribed in state law.

Mayor Adams: Yes, there is a real reluctancy in the state to expand many aspects of it. It's a real battle every year to get the expansion as we saw the growth around schools. But it's a battle. If we don't adhere to what they give us, they can always go back and take it away. But D.M. Banks is really focused on this, on how we need to go after these paper plates and ghost vehicles. They are a problem. And he has really put in place a real plan that I'm excited about. We've been focusing at the bridge and the crossings and the tunnels, but he's now going to expand it to the communities.

Question: I have two questions. First is about the hotel bill in the City Council. It would require hotels to have a license to operate. And it would limit some kinds of subcontracted employees that the hotels could hire. Obviously, the hotel workers union is very supportive of this bill, but the industry is generally against it. They're afraid it would drive up costs and put some hotels out of business. Do you have any position on it yet?

And the second question, my colleague has a story about the Parks Department. The last budget had a $2 million cut to a division that maintained urban forests, like in Van Cortlandt Park. Basically, advocates say that this was a really crucial division that is important for climate change, that guarded against invasive species, and it was relatively low cost. But now they fear that it's going to have a lot less capacity. Any openness to reshuffling resources to make sure that division is fully staffed?

Mayor Adams: D.M. Joshi will talk about the parks. The bill, the hotel bill Julie Menin put in, anything public safety is important to me. And she really believes that this has something to assist in public safety. So we're going to look over the bill. We're going to look at the final version and then make a determination after our analysis. But I love working with the City Council when they talk about how we make our city safer. And that's not only on our streets, but in our hotels as well.

Deputy Mayor Joshi: And I'm happy to address the Parks budget. So the natural resources budget, which is the men and women that do a lot of skilled work about maintaining our trees, that comes in every year. So it changes and fluctuates often. We are today using the staff we have available to meet the needs of our tree population. We also were happy to see in this budget that we had restoration of our second shift, which is also helpful to supplement the work that Parks does. But as I mentioned earlier, we have a robust program of apprenticeships and interns that can supplement as well, because they will get that important training. It's a specialized skill, so we want to ensure that there is a pipeline.

Question: Hello, Mr. Mayor.

Mayor Adams: How are you?

Question: I'm going to stand up. Randy Mastro called it an existential crisis to democracy if Donald Trump gets elected. He said we need the best legal minds to take on Donald Trump. And also he said that if needed, he will win with Donald Trump in court again. That was in response to my question during his press conference with Ethnic and Community Media last week. I asked him about how he plans to utilize law to help the city get out of the migrant crisis. This was a very blunt and open criticism of a presidential candidate. Do you think that if Donald Trump gets elected, he will be an existential crisis? It will be an existential crisis to democracy? And did you select Randy Mastro to get ready for such a scenario?

Mayor Adams: Well, I think, and Lisa can go through where we are in the entire process. I know Ingrid and Tiffany, they have been communicating with our councilmembers. We think Randy is the best person to represent the city as we deal with all of these complex legal issues that we're facing, from the migrant asylum crisis to the FHEPS vouchers. I mean, we could just list... The Corporation Counsel's office, they have been extremely busy the last two years and eight months. I am focused on getting him through, and I'm focused on getting VP Harris to become the next president of the United States. And we're going to do whatever we can to make that happen. Lisa, do you want to?

Zornberg: I believe that the City Council has scheduled a hearing on Mr. Mastro's nomination for August 27th, if that's helpful.

Question: I got two questions. One, and I got to disclose a first close personal connection. But the EMTs. Twenty five years ago, they were supposed to get in parity with the FDNY. Never happened. So the contracts with the Police and the Fire Department, the EMTs going back to COVID still don't have a new contract. Are you and Robert Tucker going to get EMTs a new contract, and if so, when? That's question number one.

The other is you did a great job of cleaning up 14th Street and Avenue A. One of our reporters did an interesting story down on Manhattan Plaza underneath the Manhattan Bridge. About two weeks ago, it was a complete shanty town. About a week or so, completely cleared up. I think Sanitation moved in, beautiful. This weekend, back to being a shanty town, could they get the same attention under the Manhattan Bridge as 14th Street and 125th Street, where you've done a great job? Those are the two questions.

Mayor Adams: First, we're going to settle. We are going to settle the contract. I think we have over probably about 95, 96 percent of these contracts, and they're fair contracts. They were great ratification votes from the membership, and it's important that we do give a fair contract to them. And that's our goal. And Renee Campion has been just amazing in finding that sweet spot, that balance of protecting taxpayers' dollars, as we deal with these fiscal crises that we're facing and at the same time, making sure that these union members get the salary they deserve. So we'll get there. We will get there.

You know, the success we've had, D.M. Williams-Isom has had around these shanty towns, these encampments, has been a combination of bringing together our social service agencies, Department of Sanitation, the Police Department, and her team. As we find a location, there's a process. We don't just go and close it down automatically. There are some rules that we must do. Post a sticker. Department of Sanitation must do the announcement. We try to get services in there. So there's some clear rules that we carry out before we close down an encampment.

We've been successful because we go back and we revisit them, and we connected the New York City Police Department to do routine patrol. They have an obligation to identify them, but there's a process to doing so. And one day we need to show all of these, we need to do a real display of the numbers that we've closed down and how it has changed drastically the quality of the life of the community. We will look at under the Manhattan Bridge. I'm surprised I didn't see it because normally I ride around 1, 2 a.m. at night and find encampments. So now you got me tempted. I'm going to be looking at that this evening. But we've made a huge dent on these encampments. And you've got to go back. You can't do it once and done. Some you have to go back over and over again. And so we're going to take a look at that location as well. I'll do one or two more questions because this young lady, she had her hand up.

Question: Hey, Mr. Mayor.

Mayor Adams: What's happening?

Question: I'm good. Just following up kind of on Liz's question about the FDNY. You know, with these longstanding diversity issues and this new commissioner coming in, is there a specific plan that you've discussed with him to kind of tackle those longstanding issues? And do you think he's better positioned to do this than Laura Kavanagh was?

Mayor Adams: As I said, Commissioner Kavanagh could stay as long as she wanted. She was moving in the right direction. So not only the diversity issue, she was also, I mean, she was the champion nationally around lithium-ion batteries. What she was doing with women in the agency, she set the right tone. And she laid a foundation that I think we can build on. And I would have loved for her to continue to do the work she was doing. But she had plans. She wanted to do something else with her life, and I respect that.

But I think that Robert can do that. And the most important thing that I found is listen to those who have been impacted in a particular location. If you do that, you can make huge changes. And far too often people don't want to do that. People who are on the front line who have been impacted on any is. It could be antisemitism, racism, Islamophobia, whatever. Listen to people who are impacted. And don't try to tell them they're not feeling what they're feeling. And this is a message for all of my agencies. You know, let's listen to those who are feeling what they're feeling and say how can we change that dynamic. And that's what I like about Robert. I think that he understands that. And I think we're going to be able to make some clear headway. And listen, it takes years before you move things in the right directions. But you should try. The first step starts with your attempt to try. That's what our goal is.

Question: Two questions. So sort of building on your question about the migrant crisis, the numbers going down. Yet some hotels have been migrant shelters for two years. New contracts for migrant shelter services are still being signed. So when does it start to get scaled back? When do those hotels turn back into hotels?

And then the second question is there was a knife-point rape in Coney Island. One of the men, David Bonilla, had an ICE detainer out on him after he was arrested for a separate rape case in April 2023. He took a plea deal, was released from Rikers less than two months before this latest attack. Why was he allowed to roam our sanctuary policies failing New Yorkers?

Mayor Adams: Camille can talk about the hotels. A really despicable act that happened in Coney Island that was, you know, well... As you know, laws do not allow us to coordinate with ICE. That's the law. And, you know I'm not happy about that. And I think he's the poster child of what's wrong with not doing that coordination. It's clear that he does not deserve to be in our city. And that's a traumatizing, traumatized that family that was there. They were traumatized over that event. And my heart goes out to them.

Those small number of migrants that are in our city, they should be held accountable when they break the law. And I think that he was, he came in illegally and then he was allowed to just to stay. I just recall hearing something about his initial entry into our country. I'm not 100 percent sure, but I think in one of my briefings, that's what I heard.

Question: [Inaudible.]

Mayor Adams: Illegally. Right. And they they caught him and then they, you know, they turned him back loose. Yeah. Yeah.

Question: ...Some time in jail. But for whatever reason, it's not clear. We haven't gotten answers. We put in questions to them about why he was released.

Mayor Adams: Yeah. No, really, really problematic. This is the challenge that we're facing. And listen, the overwhelming number of migrants and asylum seekers that are here. They're trying to do the next thing and take a step onto the next journey. But you do have that small number. That's problematic. And we should be clear that this person was not in our care. He was never provided shelter here. He was not in our care. But we need to correct that problem at the border.

Question: So, I know the numbers are getting smaller with migrants. So when do the hotels start getting scaled back? Two new contracts are still being signed, some have been [inaudible] for two years.

Joseph Varlack: A couple of things. First, this is not a New York City issue or even a United States of America issue. This is a worldwide issue. We've had the opportunity to speak to other cities who are expecting and experiencing migration, and we expect that to continue between wars and climate change and all the other issues.

With respect to New York City specifically, we still have over 60,000 people that are in our care. And so every single day there is an incredible team that is looking at where we currently have locations, where we have people housed and figuring out how we can switch them to other locations, keeping in mind all of the factors that we always talk about, right? Safety. Where are children? Where are women? Where are other specialized populations? And so as we go through that work, we will likely be moving out of hotels and finding other locations. But sometimes we find those other locations. They need to be built out. And so it takes some time before we're able to make those adjustments.