Eric Adams makes plea for pro-police messaging, challenging ‘defund’ movement
In a not-so-veiled challenge to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and like-minded “Defund the police” proponents, Mayor Eric Adams said now more than ever, New Yorkers need to show they back the NYPD as cops grapple to curb violent crime.
Adams is spearheading a public relations campaign to urge not only New Yorkers but all Americans to support the police amid gun-fueled murders that have gripped the city and nation — and as he negotiates a new $100 billion budget with the City Council.
The mayor made the emotional appeal while addressing Jewish New Yorkers during an event at Gracie Mansion on Tuesday night.
“Everyone silently tells us to support the police. We cannot do this with a whisper. This community knows how important law enforcement is,” Adams said at the Jewish Heritage event.
Adams said the pro-police message should resonate across the country, referencing the horrific elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, earlier Tuesday. His speech also came hours after the arrest of a serial criminal offender who randomly shot and killed an innocent man in a subway train on Sunday.
Adams, expressing frustration, said there are days when he and Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell feel “we are the only ones backing our police department.”
“It is time for us to go on a major public relations campaign and tell the entire city and country we support our police. We want our police to do their job. Every billboard would talk about that. Every newspaper should have ads inside them. Radio shows, you should talk about supporting the police. Your Twitter handle….”
He continued, “We are too silent on those who are watering the tree of public safety with their blood for us, every day for us … as we sit in the shade of freedom. … They place themselves in harm’s way.
“If we can’t live safely in the city free from violence, then we are prisoners in the city that we love.”
Attendees applauded Adams’ pro-cop message at the reception, attended by a cross-section of the city’s varied Jewish community. Sewell also attended and spoke.
“The mayor is right. We depend on the police to protect us. We need to shout out support,” said Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis.
“Too many times in history, people were silent when they should have shouted. This is the time for shouting for those willing to sacrifice and protect us,” added Potasnik, who noted seeing more New Yorkers personally thanking officers for their service.
Asked if he thought Adams’ pro-law enforcement campaign was directed at AOC and defund-the-police activists, Potasnik said, “I hope so. I hope it’s a message for people who don’t believe police are vital. People are afraid.”
Brooklyn Councilman Kalman Yeger, who spoke at the event and marched with Adams at the Salute to Israel Parade on Sunday, said the mayor’s message was directed at progressive council members as well as the public at large.
He told attendees that “the other side of the building” at City Hall — the council — needed to be more in sync with the mayor in addressing crime.
“The mayor needs the council and every single New Yorker to stand up and give them his back,” Yeger said.
“A majority of New Yorkers support the police. They have to be vocal about it. The Jewish community is fully behind the mayor’s effort to take back New York City from the criminals.”
It’s unclear whether Adams will put city resources behind any pro-police PR campaign or is just encouraging others to do so. City Hall spokesman Fabien Levy said after the event that the mayor was “starting a conversation.”
The Gracie Mansion event hosted by Adams also sprinkled in some entertainment with his pro-cop message. Hasidic singing star Shulem Lemmer belted out classics including Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” and Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.”
