Transcript: Mayor Adams Calls in to 94.7 the Block's "Jonesy in the Morning"

September 25, 2024

Tarsha Jones: Hello lovies, so earlier this morning, if you missed it, we talked about the man Marcellus Williams that we were all trying to save from being executed. They found DNA that proved it wasn't him. 

Wayne Mayo: Exactly. And they took the one black juror off the jury for saying, they actually said he looked like Marcellus Williams. 

Jones: So what? 

Mayo: That was one of the reasons they gave for taking him off the jury.

Jones: Who are they to say? But despite all that, the governor of Missouri actually, despite the fact that the prosecutor said no we were wrong. The victim's family said no, we were wrong, and DNA proved that they were wrong. He still called for execution and it's just a sad day. 

I think the mayor is on the line. I think my boo is on the line. I'm gonna ask him what can we do though? We really need to know on a local level how we can stop things like this from happening in the future or if we really can.

Mayor Eric Adams: The prosecutor acknowledging they may have made a mistake, and they found DNA and the victims family. I think that judge made a huge mistake and he may be liable in some way, but only an attorney can really analyze that and tell us.

Jones: Yeah, that's so sad and unfortunate. That’s right. There's no words. We tried our best on this end. I was telling people that's why they should get involved on a local level with their politics, because I think that's how the judges and the politicians … 

Mayo: Yeah, are elected.

Jones: Are elected. 

Mayor Adams: And that's why people must be engaged. They don't realize how these judges are either elected or appointed. But if you engage, you can make a decision to get the justice you deserve in the courtroom.

Jones: Yeah, yeah. Well, shifting gears, what's going on over there? I see you cleaning house every time I turn around.

Mayor Adams: You know, people run their time in government. City government is extremely demanding. And, you know, three years in, for the most part, you know, many people want to, you know, go out and lose that 24 hours, seven days a week. 
We see, you know, my good friend David Banks, the chancellor. He told me at the beginning of the year he was looking to do something new in December. And so he's going to hang on until December. Dr. Vasan has served me well. And so, you know, people normally don't stay for these full terms in government because of the man, the stress on the family. And all we can do is say thank you. They served us well. We've done some great things in this city. 

Both these individuals, including the fire commissioner, she said, you know, it's time to go on and, you know, raise a family. And that is just how it is. And, you know, you just got to wish them well.

Jones: I thought it was cause they thought they was going to be found on them Diddy freak off party videos. I mean, don't be a hero. I'd leave too. We have the mayor on the phone with us this morning, ladies and gentlemen. We're going to take a quick break and come back.

[Music break.]

Jones: We are 94.7 The Block. We are back with Mayor Eric Adams. You're doing something important, always.

Mayor Adams: I got a couple of things that we're doing. Number one, I don't know if you If you and your followers know what ghost cars are. These are cars that drive around with no plates, or bogus fake plates, paper plates. We have really been focusing on them as a tolling booth. But now we did a new initiative with the Deputy Mayor Phil Banks. 

We started driving around neighborhoods where we have a high level of shootings and crimes. And we've been getting them when they're parked. So these fake plates, they are really contributing to a lot of the crime in our community. They go undetected, they do a robbery, or they will hit someone and you don't know who the person is that owns the car because the plates are fake. 

So now, we're getting them at the polling booths, and at the toll booths, and we're getting them at the, every day, in the neighborhoods. Particularly, we have a high level of shootings and we have really been focusing on them. Over 625, we were moving about 12 days. So it's really, it has become a successful operation. We're really proud of it.

Jones: Thank you for that. My mind automatically went to a visual I saw on social media of the migrants involved in that type of foolery. And then I remember the video of one of the migrants in the subway station cutting up fruit and selling fruits. At, like, literally right where the train is pulling into the station. We gotta stop like they're too much. It's too much with them right now

Mayor Adams: I agree.

Jones: She was slicing a pineapple, no, it was a mango. She was slicing a mango on the R train, like at the R train station.

Mayor Adams: The issue is, when you don't allow people to work you create these black markets. Even when you look at what's happening in Queens with some of the prostitution that you're seeing. That's why we've been calling for work visas, to allow people to have a job, we have a lot of open jobs in different fields. 

We have medical professionals who are in homeless shelters as migrants and asylum seekers. An overwhelming number of people who are here, they want to work and we need to get them the organization to do so. And that has been our big push. Whether from West Africa, South Central America. We allow, you know, those who come from Ukraine, which we rightfully allow them to work, we should do the same with those who are coming from other regions.

Jones: Is it, like, politically incorrect or bad of me to say, it's too much, we gotta do a uno reverse? Because it's too much. Is that … 

Mayor Adams: No, it's not. No, it's not. It's not politically incorrect and it's not bad. It's common sense. We got to control the border in the state. What I believe we should be doing, there are many places in the country that they need population. Now such a substantial population drop, we should control and tell people when they come into the country through the borders, which municipality you're going to based on the needs of workers and population instead of having the wild, wild west. 

Jones: Right, right. 

Mayor Adams: We also have some good news, a lot of people don't realize one of the ways we get money into the city is through grants, and we applied for some major grants from the federal government and one of them was worth $260 million. 
We're doing a real 21st century maritime port and mixed-use community in the Brooklyn Marine Terminal and this money is going to help us expedite that and move forward and we received several other big grants that we went after. Normal people don't get there and don't get these grants, but we were extremely successful because of my deputy mayor, Meera Joshi, and what she has done.
Jones: Put a woman in charge and it will get done. It will get done. 
Michael Shawn: Mayor, listen, I've been trying to stay out of you and Jonesy's conversation. I don't know if you know me, I'm Michael Shawn, I'm trying to get a job in 94.7 The Block. So, I just pop up and get on the microphone and stuff like that. So I was not trying to intrude, but I just need a favor, and you don't owe me anything, because, you know, we don't know each other. But … 

Jones: Stupid! 

Shawn: Is there any way, I think I need you to come to Jonesy's birthday party? 

Mayor Adams: I would love that. Anytime I get to hang out with Jonesy it’s the real deal. 

Shawn: I need you there, and I think maybe y'all gonna have dinner. I think the birthday party would be nice, but I think a dinner between you and her would be even nicer. I think you know all that she's done for you… 

Jones: Shut up.

Shawn: And supporting you, yeah. 

Jones: You don't have to worry about the immigrants. 

Shawn: Listen, just do the dinner and the party. 

[Crosstalk.]

Mayo: Can someone turn his mic off? Thank you.

Mayor Adams: Jonesy, when is your birthday party? 

Jones: It's October 27th, but we can talk off air, mayor. 

Shawn: Don't get, don't get shy now, don't get shy now.

Jones: Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, Mayor Eric Adams, take care. 

Mayor Adams: Ha, ha, happy birthday. 

Jones: Thank you. 

Shawn: No save that. We'll see you the 27th.

Jones: Be safe out there. Thank you. 

Mayor Adams: Alright. Take care. 

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