Transcript: Mayor Adams Hosts Community Conversation

February 26, 2024

Commissioner Fred Kreizman, Community Affairs Unit: Good evening. My name is Fred Kreizman, commissioner of the Mayor's Community Affairs Unit. Welcome, everyone, to the Mayor's 24th Community Conversation we've hosted. 

The Adams administration is excited to be here in Canarsie. Folks were invited here through community‑based organizations. We send invites out to the community board, precinct council, civic organizations and CB18, as well as non‑for‑profits, so excited to have the people in the community participate. I'm excited because I'm a resident of CB18 as well, so it's good to be home.

We just want to...we're extremely happy to be able to enjoy having you here today. The meeting started at six o'clock. Six to seven, we had community conversation, roundtable conversations with members of the mayor's office at each table to take diligent notes on the community issues that matter most to report it back to City Hall. Members of NYPD Community Affairs sat at every single table together with the members of our office. 

You see intake cards at every table at your seats. The point of those cards are in case your question [isn't] answered within two weeks, you get a return phone call from the agency that's tracked by the mayor's office to ensure you're not wasting your time by coming out here today.

I just want to go through the dais of the folks we have here today.

We have with us the mayor of the City of New York, Honorable Eric Adams.

Yes. Let's hold all the applause to the end or we're going to be here all night.

We have the First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services Anne Williams‑Isom, Deputy Mayor of Strategic Initiatives Ana Almanzar, the Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development and Workforce Maria Torres‑Springer, the Deputy Mayor's Office of Operation Chief of Staff Bonny Tsang, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Mark Stewart, Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro, Department of Education Deputy Chancellor Kenita Lloyd, DYCD Commissioner Keith Howard, Human Rights Commissioner Annabel Palma, Health + Hospital President and CEO Dr. Mitchell Katz, Department of Health Deputy Commissioner Dr. Leslie Hayes, Mayor's Office Community Mental Health Chief of Staff Rachael Morgan Peters, DSS Administrator Joslyn Carter, End Gender‑Based Violence Acting Commissioner Saloni Sethi, Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice Director Deanna Logan, Office of Prevention of Hate Crimes Executive Director Hassan Naveed, A.T. Mitchell, Co‑Chair of Mayor's Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, ACS Deputy Commissioner for Prevention Services Dr. Jacqueline Martin, Department of Finance Assistant Commissioner Jacqueline Gold, Mayor's Office of People with Disabilities Commissioner Christina Curry.

We have, to my right, we'll be joined by the borough president shortly, Antonio Reynoso, our councilmember, Mercedes Narcisse.

We have Molly Schaeffer, the Director of the Office of Asylum Seeker Operations. We have Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch, DEP Commissioner Rit Aggarwala, Department of Probation Commissioner Juanita Holmes, DCWP Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga, Department of Buildings Commissioner Jimmy Oddo, DOT Borough Commissioner Keith Bray, EDC VP James Wong, Department of City Planning Executive Director Edith Hsu‑Chen, Mayor's Office of Climate Environmental Justice Executive Director Elijah Hutchinson, NYCHA VP for Public Housing Jimmy Santana, NYCEM Deputy Commissioner for Logistics John Grimm, HPD Assistant Commissioner Nicole Simmons, Office of Sports Director Jasmine Ray, DFTA Commissioner Ryan Murray, Small Business Services Deputy Commissioner Calvin Brown, Parks Borough Commissioner Martin Maher, FDNY Deputy Chief Gorman.

And we have Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry in the audience, Chief of Patrol John Chell, 69 Precinct Captain [Shoshana Winter], 63 Precinct Deputy Inspector Rachael Kosak, the commanding officer, Precinct Patrol Borough, Brooklyn South Assistant Chief Charles McEvoy and newly appointed Deputy Chief Richie Taylor from Community Affairs Bureau.

So, at this time we're going to hand it over. The order will be, we'll give it over to Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse. We'll have introduction by our district leader, Canarsie resident Frank Seddio and we'll give it over to the mayor.

City Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse: Good evening, everyone. I'm so happy to be home, and welcome every agency, including the mayor of New York City, Eric Adams.

So, now before I say anything, for all my District 46 that have complained, that have been talking to me, that want me to bring things home, we want the whole pig, like I said. So, now tonight you have all the agencies in front of you. I can see you, Harold, laughing. I can see Frank. Whatever that you need, just say it. It's just like magic tonight, right?

So, to all the agency, I want to say thank you for being here. I appreciate you. I really appreciate the mayor bringing all the agencies in front of you. So, for tonight, just think, process it and make sure you ask of the question that you need to ask.

I know that someone already told me from the get‑go that we need to ask about the streets, that we have so many waters overflow, all those things. It's just like magic. Tonight, this evening is our night, it's our District 46 night.

And I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for you to be here to see the struggle, whatever the problem we have. Like I said, it's going to be just like magic tonight. So, I thank you, and thank you, everyone. My name is Mercedes Narcisse, by the way, your councilmember for the 46th District and your fighter. Thank you so much.

Commissioner Kreizman: Before we hand it over to Frank Seddio, I just want to thank Canarsie Education Campus, the principals we have here, four principals: Adaleza Michelena, Principal Pauline O'Brien, Principal Iris Garcia, Principal Yvrose Pierre. Thank you very much for hosting us today.

Former State Assemblymember Frank Seddio: Good evening, everyone. I have the great privilege. First of all, Mr. Mayor, welcome to Canarsie, the only little town in the big city, by the way. We are surrounded by water, we're surrounded by mountains and we have all those geographic barriers that make us so unique.

And what we have as the most unique thing is the people who live in our community here. Canarsie is one of those great places that's been around for a long time. I know, my family's been here for over a hundred years, so I can tell you that we've spent that little bit of a time knowing this neighborhood.

We have the pleasure tonight of having one of the finest men I've ever known. Back in 1988, we first met, we were both in the Police Department in those days, and shared some good times back and forth. He was the head of one organization, I was the head of the Holy Name Society. So, we shared some time with that.

But what we have more is a gentleman who rose through the ranks, who started as a state senator, who became borough president and saw in his vision in that time that we needed somebody strong, smart and competent to run the City of New York. And God bless him, he is now the mayor, Eric Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. Thank you. Great to be back and to Brooklyn, from the days of Brooklyn borough president, Canarsie is a very unique community. Not only are you, for the most part, many of you are private homeowners. How many of you own a home here? You know, you also have your substantial number of NYCHA, and we want to talk about some of the things that we're doing in NYCHA.

I was sitting next to my first deputy mayor and she just handed me an article that these town halls, they work. We had an incident out in Staten Island. We did a town hall. They had a sinkhole, a large sinkhole for 20 years. Someone stood up, told us about it. I took a trip over there with them and that sinkhole is fixed. And the person stated after 20 years of having that sinkhole that finally it is repaired. But that's not all. Night after night, we do these town halls, number 24, we hear the issues and then we go out and see them on the ground. My mother used to say, if you don't inspect what you expect, it's all suspect. So, you have to get out there and see it for yourself.

Let me say this before we open the floor up to you. Think about this for a moment, folks. January 1st, 2022, Covid, crime was surging in the wrong direction, no one wanted to bring jobs back here to the city, our children were not keeping pace in reading and writing, tourism was going in the wrong direction, no one wanted to be on the subway system again, we were not putting money back in the pockets of everyday New Yorkers, people were hurting. 

Two years and two months later, two years and two months later, crime is decreasing, four, five of the seven major categories, shootings are down, homicides are down. More private sector jobs in the history of the city is now in New York City, 62 million tourists are here.

Our children are outpacing the state in reading and writing because of what Chancellor Banks has done as the chancellor of the school system. Dyslexia screening. Why? Because 30 to 40 percent of young people in Rikers Island are dyslexic. So, we say, you know what? Let's screen our children before they end up in jail, let's put them on the pathway to go to Yale by doing dyslexia screening in the process.

But not only that, earned income tax credit to put money back in the pockets of everyday working class people. Settled 95 percent of our union contracts, some of them had union contracts that were outdated for years, couldn't afford to live in the city.

And then people say, well, you know what? You can't manage the city. Bond raters that determine the success of managing the city gave us one of the highest bond ratings in the history of the city, and they quoted "based on our fiscal responsibility and our ability to manage the city."

Now, I want to tell you something. Do you remember this? Well, you know what? He always wear fancy suits. Well, he always is out somewhere. Well, he's not able to manage well. He's not able to handle the complexity of the city. No, not Eric Adams, David Dinkins.

Go look what they wrote about David Dinkins and do a comparative analysis of what they're saying about me. We cycled us out of Covid. We've handled 177,000 migrants and asylum seekers; and out of that 177,000, over a hundred thousand announced self‑sustaining, we were able to put permanently into a place instead of being on the taxpayers' roll.

People tell me all the time, they see me on the street and they say, well, Eric, why don't you stop the buses from coming in? It's against the law, I can't. Why don't you allow those who want to work, allow them to work? It's against the law, Federal law, I can't. Why do you say you have to house everyone that come in? Because that's the law. Why don't you deport those who commit crimes and harm people that are not doing the right thing? It's against the law, I can't.

So, I am inheriting a national crisis that I have to resolve, and we are resolving that crisis like no other city, folks. Go Google other cities. You don't see tent cities in New York. You don't see children and families sleeping on the street in New York.

This team here has managed the crises each time they come, and detached spectators that sit on the sideline and talk about what they would do, they don't have a plan. We have a plan, and we have executed our plan successfully better than any other city in the country.

Migrants and asylum seekers are sleeping in precincts, airports, in hospitals. That's not happening here. And it's costing us a lot. I've been to Washington 10 times and they made it clear, we're on our own. You did not elect me to describe a problem, you elected me to fix the problem. And that's what we're doing.

The city is not surviving, the city is thriving. And if you allow people to rewrite our history during Black History Month, then you're making a big mistake. We are going to write our own history. I know what this team is doing. One of "the" most diverse administrations in the history of this city.

Five women deputy mayors, never before. First woman to be a police commissioner, first Spanish‑speaking person to be in charge of the Department of Correction, first Korean to be the Commissioner of Small Business Services, first Filipino to be a deputy mayor, first Trinidadian to be a deputy mayor, first Indian, East Indian, to be a deputy mayor, first African American woman to be the first deputy mayor, second African American woman to be the chief of staff, the first one came over with David Dinkins. First Jewish woman to head our intel division in the New York City Police Department.

You go down the line, you see how we've opened up our administration to look like the people in the City of New York. Look at this administration. They look like the people of the city, and each one of them have their own story and narrative of how they are true to this job and the commitment that they're making.

These are tough times, but we're a tough team and we can handle it. And the only reason we can handle it, stay focused, no distractions and grind. That's what we do. All that noise out there does not get in our way of producing a product that we know we can produce.

And so I want to open the floor. I want to hear your questions. But the way we like to do it, you speak, I listen; I speak, you, listen. We respect each other in this space. That is how we get the results we're looking for.

Thank you for allowing me to come into Canarsie and bring the entire dream team with me to answer and respond to your inquiries.

Commissioner Kreizman: Table Number 1, Pastor. 

Question: First of all, good night, everybody.

Mayor Adams: Good night.

Question: I just want to start by saying thank you, Mr. Adams and everybody that came out tonight. I know your job ain't easy, but hopefully this after tonight, we come together, community in one and make it work.

I want to thank everybody from Canarsie. This is the first time, this is a one moment. This is the first time the mayor's come to Canarsie and heard our concerns. So, let's have some respect and come together as one. This is what it's about. Everybody's in here as a leader in our community and it's up to us to fix our community with their help. So, let me get to my question. Thank you, Mr. Adams.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. I'm sorry. What's your name, Brother?

Question: I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself.

Mayor Adams: It's all good. You've got to talk it to the mic.

Question: My name is [Nigel Dupree]. I'm 43. I'm the president of Breukelen Housing. This is my vice president, [Stacey Thomas]. And like I said, every day is a learning experience and we're learning to get better every day and we're learning to be leaders, just like everybody in this room. Thank you.

Back to my question. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. With the illegal bikes on the rise, issues with migrants and no consequences, the crime rate is up. What can the committee and the community do to come together and attack this issue?

Mayor Adams: Thank you. And I want to answer your question, but I also want to tell you about NYCHA, what we have done. During Covid and when I was knocking on doors, handing out masks and people were saying, why are you going in to NYCHA handing out masks, I noticed that many of the children in there did not have high‑speed broadband.

So, Matt Fraser, my chief technology officer, sat down with me. We now have high‑speed broadband throughout NYCHA for free for every one of those young children that's in there.

Deputy Mayor Maria Torres‑Springer placed NYCHA at the top end of our housing agenda to make sure that we can go in and do the necessary repairs. We got the NYCHA Land Trusts passed through as well. We're doing some major projects in NYCHA to make sure NYCHA gets the quality of life that they deserve.

Now, you were talking about the illegal bikes on the road. Chief Chell, how many have we taken off the road?

Chief John Chell, Chief of Patrol, Police Department: In two years, illegal bikes and cars. I checked the numbers this morning. So, there was what we call ghost cars and the mopeds and the ATVs that drive all over our city thinking they're going to use our, as I say, use our city, our communities as a playpen. We're about 51,000 in the last two years. 51,000 in the last two years.

Mayor Adams: 51,000?

Chief Chell: All right.

Mayor Adams: Tell them what the discovery they were doing with those mopeds and those paper plates.

Chief Chell: So, it's a quality of life issue, but it's also a heavy crime issue. If I tell you last year alone, crime patterns— that's two or more of the same people doing the same crime— on mopeds was up 92 percent last year on top of the community complaints. It was a major problem for us. We're still combating.

And this year right alone, this year in February, we've already taken 6,000 off the street. That's a projection over the next few months to 35,000. We are not going to stop. We're listening, we're hearing and we're reacting.

Mayor Adams: And so what we found, what we found— that's why your question is such an important question, we found— that people were using the paper plates, doing robberies, taking the plates off and it's difficult, they're ghost plates. We found that some of the mopeds were being used for crime: snatch and grabs, stickups. It became a real problem.

So, the chief and his team focused on those illegal bikes, those mopeds, those paper plates, and that is what the real outcome has been. Many of them we found drugs in cars, guns in cars. They were being used to commit the crime.

Now, the overwhelming number of migrants and asylum seekers that are here, they want to work. I still don't understand why the federal government is not allowing them to work. They need to have the right to work like all of us that have come to this country had the ability to do so.

But those small numbers that are committing crimes, we need to modify the Sanctuary City law that if you commit a felony, a violent act, we should be able to turn you over to ICE and have you deported. It is a right to live in this city and you should be not committing crimes in our city in doing so.

Right now, we don't have the authority to do so. 

Commissioner Kreizman: You want to have a follow‑up? Okay. 

Question: All right, one more question. I live in the NYCHA development and I don't want to take nobody's question away, but what are we dealing with the mental health issues that the inner city faces every day? I would not forgive myself if I didn't ask that question.

Mayor Adams: No, thank you for that. I had a meeting today with Deputy Mayor Williams‑Isom. When we came into office, January and February when I became mayor of 2022, I went out into the streets late at night, one, two o'clock in the morning for one purpose: I wanted to go inside the tents, go inside the cardboard boxes and I wanted to talk to the people who were living in there.

I found drug paraphernalia, human waste, stale food, schizophrenic, bipolar. And I went back and sat down with the team and I said, this is unacceptable. We put in place a plan to remove the encampments and give people the care that they deserve.

We got so much pushback. People said they have a right to live on the streets. I don't even understand the logic. If you are dealing with a severe mental health issue, you don't know that you need help. There were people I spoke with, one of them was an ex‑cop who was schizophrenic and clearly didn't know he needed help.

So, we did something called involuntary removal to give them the care that they deserve. Do we have numbers on that, Deputy Mayor Williams‑Isom, at all on what we've done?

Deputy Mayor Anne Williams‑Isom, Health and Human Services: We'll get you an update, I don't want to just say the numbers. But we've been consistently looking to make sure that we connect people to the services that they need, whether they need housing… sorry, whether they need to get connected to a clubhouse, as you said, Mr. Mayor.

So, there's a continuum of services. But the involuntary confinement, which is a small group, we've really been working with a lot of our providers to get people connected.

Mayor Adams: And we're getting people into permanent housing, but we did something else. Our children came out of Covid, folks, with some real severe concerns. So, what Commissioner Dr. Vasan did, how do our children communicate now? They don't go like, we may have gone to a therapist, they go to their devices. So, who I have from Department of Health and Mental Hygiene?

Commissioner Kreizman: Dr. Leslie Hayes.

Mayor Adams: So, let's talk about what we're doing...what we did with Teen Space.

Deputy Commissioner Leslie Hayes, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: So, good evening, everyone. What we've been doing is putting into place what is the best way to reach our young people. And within the school system and outside of the school system, we've put together a program around Telemental Health, where actually young people using their devices, can connect to mental health specialists.

And it's been a huge success because, as you know, what do our youth use the most? Their devices. And when they can comfortably connect with someone and get the support and the help that they need, it has over the top been received by our young people and it's just doing amazing things. So, that's where we are as far as Telemental Health for our young people in the communities.

Mayor Adams: And so the goal is, you are 100 percent right. After Covid, all of us got hit hard with mental health issues and our goal is to identify them. Don't try to ignore them. Clubhouses is a new way of letting people come together. We want to give people wraparound services because mental health is a real issue in our subway system, on our streets, and we have been leaning directly into this. You want to ask something, Chief Chell?

Chief Chell: Just in terms of homeless encampments. Since March of '22 when we started the Homeless Encampment task force, we have resolved, cleaned up over 10,000 homeless encampments in our city and got people some help.

And how do you know it's working? Well, there's visual; and, calls for service as it relates to homeless encampments on the streets has been reduced about 25 percent. And we do it every day with scanning the city, every day. And then sometimes I get a certain phone call that I have to respond and clean something up. But it's working.

Mayor Adams: January, February, March, April of 2022 I would drive around the city 2:00 a.m., 3:00 a.m. in the morning and what would I do when I see an encampment? I'll call.

I'll call them and I'll send them a picture. Why is this encampment here? How long has it been here? We put a system in place where the average police officer on patrol, their sector, if they see an encampment, they have to notify the borough. The borough then notifies a chain of reaction that Deputy Mayor Williams‑Isom put in place. We go there to give people the services and we get that encampment down.

And they know January, February, March, April 2022, it was easy for me to find encampments. It's challenging for me to find encampments now because we have removed them off our streets and we made sure we gave people the services in the process. Go look at other cities. They're asking us what have we done to change that street homelessness and encampment that you're seeing in our city. 

Commissioner Kreizman: We'll go to Table Number 2. I just want to remind people, please be brief with the questions and ask one question so we could get through all the tables.

Mayor Adams: How are you?

Question: I'm well. How are you today?

Mayor Adams: Quite well.

Question: My name is [Robin Woodyard]. I live here in Canarsie. I've been here approximately 12 years now. I came from Crown Heights and I'm loving Canarsie. Okay.

The problem we're having, since they made marijuana legal, it's difficult for me to come out my house and they're sitting there in front of my house, okay? They're smoking, they're looking at their videos and they're putting their trash in front of my house. And I have had to speak to them nicely.

But getting to a point where, is it safe for me to leave my house? Will they come into my home once I leave? Because you're sitting there three, four or five hours a day. And the police need to patrol the side streets, the dark streets, because that's where they're sitting.

The major streets, they don't bother, the big streets, 105, 104, Avenue M like that, they don't sit there. But on the side streets Flat 9, Flat 8, Flat 10, every day. It's every day, and something has to be done. I'm afraid to bring something in because they're sitting there watching me.

Mayor Adams: No, I'm with you and I hate it. I'm going to be very clear. You know, we are restricted on what we can do if someone is just sitting there smoking a joint. We're restricted because the police can't go in and tell someone, you have to move. They can't be loitering on your place. If they're doing that, the police can respond to that. If they're sitting on your step, the police can respond to that.

But if they're just on the streets smoking marijuana, because it's legal, we are restricted on what we could do. What we will do is have the precinct commander, if you give it a location we'll have folks SA— Special Assignment— go by there to see if anyone is doing something disruptive, but there's a limitation on what we can do.

We can't stop someone unjustly. We can't search people unjustly. We've been down that road before. We're not going to go back down that road. But if there needs to be a presence to go and make a common right inquiry, hey, what's going on here? What are you guys doing? If they're playing music loud, if they've been disruptive, we can make a common inquiry to find out what's going on.

So, I want you to make sure you speak to the commanding officer and share exactly what your observation and where the location is. Okay?

Question: Yes. Every day. Every day. 

Mayor Adams: So, let us send some folks over and just make some inquiry on what's going on there. All right? 

Question: So, here...

Commissioner Kreizman: So, we're going to follow up...

Mayor Adams: I'm sorry?

Question: We left the house to come here for the meeting. They're sitting outside.

Mayor Adams: Okay, well, when we leave here, you and I going to go by there and I want to take a look at who's sitting outside. And I'm going to ask them, what are you all guys doing? You know, that...

Question: Recreational [inaudible] smoking [inaudible].

Mayor Adams: No.

Question: [Inaudible.]

Mayor Adams: No, no, no. Listen, listen. Don't get me started on the cannabis law. [Laughter.] You know, we need to close them down. So I want to make sure you connect. All right, DJ? Connect. You and I are going to go over there together. Let's find out what they're doing.

Commissioner Kreizman: Okay, we'll go to Table Number 3, question.

Question: Good evening, everyone.

Mayor Adams: How are you?

Question: Good evening. I'm well. I'm here representing Table 3. My name is [Jessie Fields]. I'm an elementary school principal here in Canarsie, serving students from 3K to grade five. Thank you for the support.

Here's our table's question. How can we utilize the schools during after‑school hours and on weekends to stand in as community centers? Because the one in Canarsie was closed down, used to be on Bayview.

Without having funding to help deal with our youth, not having anything to do in order to end gun violence and violence overall, we have community leaders here sitting at the table that are willing to run programs but don't have the funding to do so.

Mayor Adams: Thank you for that. DYCD Commissioner Howard. First of all, as soon as you stood up, I knew you were a teacher. Commissioner... 

Commissioner Keith Howard, Department of Youth and Community Development: So, we do have… We had to move the program from Bayview, as you know, because it's under a capital project. So, we did move the program into one of the public schools, PS 272 and we have an amazing community‑based organization that's running that program.

When the capital project is completed by NYCHA, we're going to move back into Bayview where we can have those programs.

Mayor Adams: And so what we wanted to do, we were on a pathway of doing it with the chancellor. We wanted to, when I was a borough president, we used to do something called extended use where we were able to get, I think it was $5 million or $4 million, each borough got a million, around $700,000, where we paid for everything you would have to pay for to keep the school open, because I don't believe nonprofits that are doing something for our children should also have to pay for the school safety agent, the insurance, the custodian.

We want to get back to doing that. We wanted to do it this fiscal year, but we got hit with this $12 billion migrant cost, but we want to get back to doing that. We're going to figure out how we can say to you, you're running a nonprofit, we're going to pay for you to use the school. You are doing your sweat equity, we should at least not be charging you for doing that.

We think we can get back there. That's our goal to do that, because these school buildings should be open. How do we have school buildings, beautiful buildings, beautiful gymnasium like this, 7:00 a.m. we tell our children welcome in, 2:00 p.m. we tell them get out and don't come back till tomorrow.

No. We should be using these buildings all year round for different services. That's our goal. We were going to do that until we had to do these cuts, but I want to find the money so we can get that done. I'm with you on that.

Commissioner Kreizman: Table Number 4.

Question: Good evening, everyone.

Mayor Adams: How are you?

Question: Well, thank you. How are you?

Mayor Adams: Quite well.

Question: Good. So, thank you, Mayor Adams and your administration for joining this Canarsie Community Town Hall. My name is [Charmaine Cornie Antwine] and I've lived in this community and its bordering communities for over 40 years.

We love Canarsie. We love our diversity, we love our neighbors, our churches, synagogues and mosques. We love our families. But like Table 3, most of all, we love our children.

All too often we hear about gang violence in the Canarsie area and are trying to figure out how could we help to quell that, and are asking you and your administration to help build a state of the art facility— like those in Crown Heights and in Coney Island— to really help our children thrive and be all that they can be in this Canarsie area.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Thank you for that. Describe for me what a state of the art facility is. Give me a description.

Question: So, a combination of STEM. We know that with the proliferation of AI and a lot of the social media that you spoke of, those jobs in those sectors will be transformational for our community as well as for our children's education.

So, we want to make sure that it combines STEM with the sports, which has been true to the Canarsie neighborhood. I can remember as a child, we had softball, baseball, football, you name it, we had it, and it helped build that community camaraderie and quelled a lot of the gang violence that we are speaking of today.

So, we want technology, we want instruction, we want skill sets built here in Canarsie so that our children don't have to move elsewhere in order to utilize their education. A lot of us live in Canarsie by choice. We could live anywhere. We choose to live in our neighborhood and we want to stay here, help us stay here.

Mayor Adams: And so I want Commissioner Howard, and also I want DOE to talk about some of the programs that we have. But the reason I said describe that, because often I go to communities and they will say, listen, we need a center for people, our children to be playing basketball. We need a place where they can learn how to swim. We need a place where they can sit inside a room and learn about STEM and other things. 

We have that. That's what this building is. We don't see that these buildings are extension of community resources. We have a tendency to believe that we're supposed to close down these buildings at two o'clock. There's no reason. This is a place of sports. Many of our school yards have football and baseball fields.

We allow people to make us think that these community assets are only limited to do certain things. That's just not true. These beautiful facilities should be used all year and throughout the evening. That's what I grew up. I grew up, I went to an after‑school program and I learned different skills inside the after‑school program.

We have to open these community assets up again, because if we're saying, okay, Eric, the only way we can do this is if we build another facility somewhere, I'm going to be lying to you to say that we have the capital dollars to do that. That's not true. We've got to use what we have.

This is an asset. All of these school buildings, from elementary to high school to middle school, those are your assets. Those are not assets that belong to the DOE, they belong to the community and we have to allow you access to these assets.

Now, both the commissioner DYCD and DOE, they have some amazing programs, robotics, they have programs of STEM, they have programs of a host of things. The goal is to get them in these buildings after school so our children can have access to them. Go ahead, commissioner.

Commissioner Howard: And we do. We actually have a high school program in this very building that teach medical profession, in this building. We also, we call it our YES program— our Youth Enrichment Service program— that teaches conflict mediation in this very building.

We have 21 programs in this district, with 13 providers that are working in all of the public schools and the middle schools doing the programs that the mayor has indicated. Outside of Bayview, the two community centers that we have, we have providers in there doing the programs that the mayor is talking about.

We have 3,800 young people this summer in SYEP. We had 2,400 young people in Summer Rising going to summer camp. We have SNL programs— Saturday Night Lights— where we keep school buildings open and also community centers open to keep young people safe, and that's a partnership that we have with NYPD.

I think that what we need to do better— and this is across the board— is to advertise what we have so that you know the type of robust programs that we have. And we're working on that. It is a continuous work that we have to do with that.

Mayor Adams: Because you're 100 percent right, if we are proactive, these children won't get involved in the illegal behavior. And so what we must do is ensure that we get the information out to you— our houses of worship, our block association, our civic groups— so that they are getting it out to the young people as well.

But let's be honest, there's a pocket of young people that we are going to have to have direct interactions with. You know, those young people who you don't have to worry about, they're going to come in and take advantage of the program.

But there's some young people that are out here that are really hurting and they're going to need some real nurturing, some caring. They've got to rebuild trust. We have to repeatedly stop, talk to them, say hello, because many of us are walking past these young people. We're so afraid of our young people we're not even saying hello anymore.

That's why I want to go with your sister to talk to those young brothers on the corner, because we are not talking to the ones who are in greater needs. And that's simple, hey, are you looking for a job? Here's a job application. Do you know that this agency is hiring for jobs?

These young people, when I talk to them, they say, listen, folks in the community don't even come and talk to me. They don't even say hello to me. They don't even say good morning. We've got to rebuild that trust with our young people because a lot of them are hurting. They're going home to some painful environments. DOE.

Deputy Chancellor Kenita Lloyd, Department of Education: Sure. I just wanted to, good evening, everyone. I just wanted to add just a few more just to what Commissioner Howard was saying about what programs are going on in this district.

This district was recently awarded a $1.1 million MBK grant that supports additional after‑school programming. All middle schools have after‑school in District 18, so that supports our ability to keep our young people off the street, to keep them safe, to keep them active and to keep them engaged.

And then I would just add, I know we're continuing to work together on the funding for this, but our principals accept extended use applications on a daily basis for programs who are able to come into the building and provide those, that information. So, if you'd like, I'm happy to connect after this town hall and connect with our superintendents on that.

Mayor Adams: Commissioner Stewart.

Deputy Commissioner Mark Stewart, Police Department: Good evening. Just let everybody that this is not a one‑man show here. Me, Commissioner Howard, we get together and we think of ideas to engage our youth. And we had a meeting about a week ago. And then we found out we have all of these programs, just booklets on every table, right? A lot of programs.

But nobody's picking up the NYPD website because it's cool to see what the program is going on. I'll be honest with you. So, how do we market it? We had a fellow that we met Josh, young guy, he's an influencer. We've got to start using these young kids, their website, to let them know what we're doing.

We have a lot of programs, and to be honest with you, you can have as many programs as you want to. I always say Community Affairs is two components to this: the engagement and the retention. We are not going to take your kids out to play basketball for two hours, take a picture of ourselves on social media and that's community affairs. That's not solving a problem.

So, these programs that we have, it's entailing the retention aspect of, how do we have a rapport with our kids? And it's simple, it's just a conversation, and we have to keep on showing up in these neighborhoods. You could have a hundred programs. Kids could come there for hours, they go back home, we don't know what's in their homes, drug, prostitution, we have no idea.

But you think you did a good deed because you had a kid for two hours, that's not with the solution. The solution is the retention aspect what we have to share with our kids. So, we have the engagement is the retention, and we have to work on.

Mayor Adams: And find out what they want. I know Director [Jasmine Ray] over at sports management had a competition, robotics; what we're doing with sports, like we have the World Cup that's coming here, the finals also.

Our children, FIFA needs to be having a real build out to our young people to learn what sport management is like, how do we build out some of these soccer fields? We told them we want you to come here, but you have to leave something back after you come here. And this is a real opportunity for our young people.

So, we're with you. We want to make sure what's being done, we're taking advantage of it. Like Commissioner Stewart has changed the game of community affairs. He does these baby showers of young parents who don't have basic baby supplies. These showers have almost a thousand young people that are there, new mothers that are there.

What he's doing with that unit is showing that public safety is proactive, it's not only reactive. And we have to be proactive with these young people.

And I would encourage some of the brothers that are in here, just some nights we need to just walk the streets and talk to some of these young brothers that are on the corners and just say, how's it going? What's happening? Are you in school? Are you looking for employment? You know, many of you are professionals. We need to engage our young people again. We've got to stop being afraid of them.

Commissioner Kreizman: Table Number 5, question.

Mayor Adams: How are you, ma'am?

Question: Good evening, Mayor Adams. My name is [Sandra Lean Gonzalez] and I'm a 35‑year resident of Canarsie. Like my other neighbors say, we love Canarsie. We are here by choice. But I have to address some of the safety issues that are concerning to me, and I'm sure to a lot of people here.

I usually go to work in the morning from about 5:15 to about 5:45 on the L Train. At that time, when I get on the train, it is filled with homeless men sleeping on the seats. Sometimes I'm the only person in that car. And yes, I get in the first car because the conductor is there. But what can we do to address that issue to make sure people are feeling safe, just getting to work?

Mayor Adams: Thank you for that. And thank you. That was a good tip. Ride in the conductor's car or the motorman's car. And so Kaz Daughtry, the deputy commissioner, we're going to, let's do an operation with our homeless outreach folks and let's hit one day 5:00 a.m.

We are going to go to that train station to the L line, to the L, come on, Sister, you're supposed to be with me. Why are you disrupting her?

So, we're going to go and do our own 5:00 a.m. visual and see exactly what's taking place. And we're going to bring our homeless outreach coordinator and we're going to see what the condition is, because people need to get services, and oftentimes we're not engaging people enough.

So, we're going to do an operation, all right, Kaz?

Assistant Commissioner Kaz Daughtry, Chief of Staff to the Chief of Department, Police Department: Yes, sir. Lee, could we? Thank you.

Mayor Adams: All right. Yes.

Question: So we've got an area on 105, there is absolutely no light. So...

Mayor Adams: Where? Where?

Question: The L train on 105th Street, that whole stretch is dark.

Mayor Adams: On the street?

Question: That whole stretch is dark.

Mayor Adams: Who's going to respond to that for me? DOT, the borough commissioner [Keith Bray].

Borough Commissioner Keith Bray, Department of Transportation: Yes. We will, where on 105 again? Sorry, which block?

Mayor Adams: What block on 105? You know where it is? Is it by the...

Okay. Okay. Okay. 

Borough Commissioner Bray: We'll take a look at the lighting conditions and get back. So, we'll take a look at that.

Mayor Adams: All right. All right. The commissioner said he's going to take a look at that. He's going to take a look tonight.

Assistant Commissioner Daughtry: Mayor. 

Mayor Adams: Tonight. 

Assistant Commissioner Daughtry: Mayor, if I may. 

Mayor Adams: He's going to go over there tonight. 

All right, you're going to go there tonight.

You know? 

Assistant Commissioner Daughtry: And ma'am, just like the mayor said, this is just not talk. Believe me. When the mayor's out, I think I got a call from him at 12:30 at night to meet him on Roosevelt Avenue in regards to the illegal prostitution that was happening on Roosevelt. And guess what? We shut down about 50 locations already.

So, when he says we're going to be there at a night time, believe me, I get those calls in the middle of night when I said, when he said 12:30, I said, 12:30 in the afternoon? He said, no, 12:30 tonight.

Mayor Adams: Right. Right. Right. Remember my mother said, you've got to inspect what you expect or it's all suspect. [Laughter.] You know what I'm saying? So, we're going to go check out that location, we're going to get those lights turned on. 

Chief Chell: Mayor, I just spoke to Chief Kemper live. 

Mayor Adams: Yes. 

Chief Chell: He will be there at five o'clock in the morning on the L line tomorrow... 

Mayor Adams: Okay. [Laughter.] All right? All right. And he's a good‑looking guy, so don't be hitting on him.

Commissioner Kreizman: Table Number 6. 

Mayor Adams: How are you?

Question: Doing well.

Good to see you again; and thanks, everybody, for coming out tonight to Canarsie. I'm going to speak about the parks. I have my favorite commissioner here, and...

Mayor Adams: Everybody loves Sue.

Question: He knows how I am about the parks. Now, since Covid, we have lost a lot of employees. The budget was cut, I understand that. But we cannot afford to lose any more park workers in the Community Board 18. This district, we cannot afford to lose any more, because the parks are very important and we need the funding.

So, and also one of my partners here she's talked about accessibility as far as going into the bathrooms. Okay? That some of the stores are not large enough for them to get in with their [inaudible], and the people with disabilities. So, we need to address that. And also we definitely need the proper vehicles for the park workers to use. Okay.

Mayor Adams: So, talk to me about that, commissioner. I know we don't have Sue tonight, but talk to me about that.

Commissioner Kreizman: Commissioner [Marty Maher].

Mayor Adams: And is Meera with us?

Commissioner Kreizman: Or, Marty...

Borough Commissioner Martin Maher: So, yes, Mr. Mayor, we're doing, we have a good staff in Community Board 18. We have 25 full‑time workers. We have 80 percent acceptability ratings that we're working to improve. We have some great capital projects coming, including a brand‑new restroom in Canarsie Park that's going to be opening in 2024.

We've done some great work at Brookline Houses. We have $4 million in doing a brand‑new playground that will be, we'll be having a community input session for that. We got our good friends at DOT to help us pave the schoolyard next to PS 260.

We got the New York Nets to repave the basketball court, so we've got a brand‑new basketball court out there. The mayor gave us $3 million to pave the paths at Eastern Canarsie Park, which is going to happen this coming year on April 28th, no, 23rd, it's a Tuesday.

We're going to have massive forces from all across the borough doing a freshening up of Canarsie Park. We had a meeting with our great councilmember and our great police chief from Brooklyn South to, in advance of the season for Canarsie to make sure that illegal events aren't happening and that between the police and parking enforcement— our good friends at the police— we're going to be monitoring that situation as well.

So, there's a lot of good things going on in parks in Canarsie and the Community Board 18.

First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright: And I would also say we did have a hiring pause, and that has now been lifted, thankfully, for some of the budgetary responsibility that we've done. So, there was a little bit of a lull in terms of staffing, and so that's going to ramp back up.

Question: It's very important to [me].

Mayor Adams: [Laughter.]

Love it. Love it. Tell me something. Do you have, is there a Friends of Canarsie Park?

Question: There is.

Mayor Adams: Okay. Okay. So...

Question: [Laughter.]

Mayor Adams: So, there is.

Question: Of course there is. The flossy is here. Okay. We have a group of people that go out there in the park and clean.

Mayor Adams: Okay. Good. Good. Love it. Love it. Love it.

Commissioner Kreizman: And in regards to accessibility, we do have the commissioner, the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities here, Commissioner Curry.

Mayor Adams: Right. And so that's, crucial. And team, if there's anything that I miss and you want to add, feel free, too. So, the "friends of" are important, and we need to figure out ways of how we get the businesses engaged in a very real way.

So, there's a lot happening with the parks; and as the first deputy mayor stated, we had to put a hiring freeze in. But that has been lifted, and we want to make sure that we continue to staff our parks, because you're right, parks, you know, we learned during Covid that parks are everything. It's the space, you know, of where you go and do your deep reflection.

Question: And Mr. Mayor, we love our partner groups and we want to work with them everywhere we can.

Mayor Adams: Yep, that's important.

Commissioner Kreizman: Again, Commissioner Curry would like to add something. 

Mayor Adams: Where am I going? 

Commissioner Kreizman: Commissioner Curry would like to add something. 

Mayor Adams: Yes. Yes. Yes, commissioner. Um‑hmm. 

Commissioner Christina Curry, Mayor's Office of People with Disabilities: Would you like me to stand, or...?

Mayor Adams: No, you can rest, it's up to you.

Commissioner Curry: Good evening, everyone.

Mayor Adams: Is it on?

Commissioner Curry: Good evening, everyone. Commissioner Curry, Mayor's Office, People with Disabilities.

So, thank you for that information about parks. But from the disability standpoint, we're just going to add one piece. While you're working on the parks, make sure someone that's disabled is there to agree, yes, this is accessible, because even though we go by the guidelines, it does not always match reality.

So, we need someone, if we have, if we're doing the lighting of the path, have someone there with visual impairments to concur that this is something that makes sense. If we're talking about the turnaround in the bathroom, make sure we have someone in a wheelchair that can get into the bathroom stall and turn around. So, that's very important. Thank you.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. And I love what Commissioner Curry has done...

She brings in those who are part of the community and that are going through whatever movement, and we get feedback from them. She has done an amazing job on doing that, which is extremely important.

Commissioner Kreizman: Again, next table, Table 7. And just a reminder, let's focus on one question per table so we get to all the tables.

Question: Good evening.

Mayor Adams: How are you?

Question: I'm good, thank you.

Mayor Adams: Good, good.

Question: My name is [Tarquilla], I'm a senior, I attend a high school in Manhattan Beach. I'm 17. And it takes a really long time for me to go to school from Canarsie to Manhattan Beach, it takes over an hour. I use the MTA, like buses. And I also attend a Saturday program in lower Manhattan, it takes over an hour as well via public transportation. I was wondering, and many Canarsie residents are also wondering, of the possibility of a ferry to be in Canarsie.

Mayor Adams: I remember there was a demonstration. Someone had a milk carton… saying, "where's Eric? What was with that? [Laughter.] You know, act like I'm disappearing, you know, missing.

Talk to me. You want to [talk about it], Deputy Mayor Maria Torres‑Springer?

Deputy Mayor Maria Torres‑Springer, Housing, Economic Development and Workforce: Yes. Thank you for that question. You know, the ferry system across the five boroughs, it's a relatively new one, right? And so we have stood up landings and stops in order to improve access for residents of our city.

I do know that a few years ago there was a study, mayor— and so many of you, I think, participated in that— to look at landings here in Canarsie. And when we look at landings to determine whether a stop should be in a community, there are a number of different criteria, including what the ridership might be, whether it is feasible technically to do it, whether you might actually see savings in travel times.

And so, while the current Ferry Forward Plan that we're working on— and the Economic Development Corporation is the lead here— this plan, we're particularly focused on strengthening the operations and financial feasibility and sustainability.

What that means is we're not currently expanding the system. But I do want everyone here to know that to the extent that that's, the system that we now have does get expanded we will absolutely make sure that we are looking at the Canarsie stop again, answering those questions on feasibility, on ridership and on whether travel savings can happen, because it is the type of service that we know means a lot to commuters across our city.

But right now, we're focused on stabilizing the system, making sure that it is strong and financial stability. But if there are expansion plans, we're going to engage everyone in this room because we know it's been a question over the years.

Mayor Adams: And we don't believe we use the waterways enough, and I think that if we're able to expand to have the ferry out here, it's a real win. You know, areas out here like in parts of Queens, what are transportation deserts, don't have the transportation that they need. The more we give alternative methods, I think it's important.  

And you know, being able to expand and get a ferry out here would be a huge W for us. But we've got to make sure we stabilize the system that we have in place. It's relatively new. Who did this start under, Bloomberg or de Blasio? de Blasio. Hats off to Bill for realizing that we have to use our waterways enough.

And it can't be just Manhattan centered, you know, and you're all the way out on the other end. So, we need to find ways of allowing you to cut down your travel time and other travel times. The only train you have is the L, you know, so we're with you. We just got to get it right. Okay? So, whoever put that milk carton up that had me missing… tell them… [Laughter.] Go ahead, go ahead, okay. 

Commissioner Kreizman: Table Number 8.

Question: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, my name is Harold Jones. I run a non‑profit in Canarsie. Before I get my question, I would really like, to your commissioner, DYCD. I don't know, I feel like I'm in an alternate universe because you talk about all those programs, but I'm trying to do a program I have to go to the libraries. Nobody have contacted me about all these spaces and things in DYCD.

And that is the most difficult organization that we have to deal with to get funding. To get funding, anybody know you get funding from the city, you have to come up with that funding.

And then I heard, oh, the mayor is gonna lend you money. The mayor has a program that will lend you money to fund your program before you get it back a year later, and you know what the mayor program says? Oh, you have to have, they can only pay for rent and they could only pay for staff.

A hundred percent of the funding I get goes back to this community. I don't have any staff. I don't need any money. But if you don't have a building or a thing you can't lend me that money. But I want to get to my question.

Mayor Adams: I thought that was your question.

Question:  No, I just heard him talk and I said, I'm in a different universe because he's talking about all these things. But I will talk to him after, but I want to get to my question.

My question, if I can talk my question. My question, and I love it because my question was about a community center, but I heard you say that this should be opening these schools. I've been saying that forever.  

Last year we had a little program to a lady here. She's here. And she wanted to do something to help cure violence. She went to a school in Canarsie, and I had to pay $684 for them to use that one night. 

The second thing, I got a call from a school, a principal of a school, she's doing her little Girl Scouts program. And she's asking me, Harold, can you pay, she got do a one night a week, $3,000 next year for me to run my Girls Scouts program.

That is not community, and that's bad. And you have to look into that, because we should not be paying for these spaces. [I'll give] another thing about, we have a theater 20 years, 25 years closed down on Avenue L.

Mayor Adams: What's that, a what?

Question: A theater, old theater, 25 years. When you guys want to build the stadium...

Commissioner Kreizman: Can we focus on the question.

Question: You use...

Mayor Adams: Let him do his thing.

Question: You use something called eminent domain to move everybody up there, right out of there, and you build Barclays Center. My history tells me in 1880 we had a little church called Plymouth, [we] still here on 96th Street.

And Plymouth moved here where this stadium, Lord put you here tonight, because Plymouth and a lot of Black people were here. 1964, they used eminent domain to move those, all those people without any compensation, to build this very school. You understand?

So, I'm saying if we cannot get a community center— I've been fighting for this for 15 years now— we have to open up these schools for the community. I want to do so many programs, but I can't do them because I don't have the space. And these guys from DYCD says you can't do them because you don't have the money.

Mayor Adams: Thank you for that. And that goes back... 

That goes back to what I said earlier. I'm with you. You know, I don't think it's right that if someone is doing a Girl Scout program, they have to pay $3,000. So, if someone is doing a program at the school, they have to pay $600.

I don't think that we should be doing business that way. These are your assets. And that's what we have to figure out. But I do know two things: one, I know what nonprofits were going through prior to us coming.

Deputy mayor, first deputy mayor, can you talk about the budget gap and not paying and the backlog and what you did when you came in?

First Deputy Mayor Wright: Yes. When we got in office, we saw that there was about $6 billion that had been owed to nonprofits that hadn't been paid on time for years. So, we set up a sprint, and in 12 weeks we got $4.2 billion into the hands of those organizations; and within another month or so after that, the full amount.

And we also did set up programs so if you have a contract with the city, you can get a loan to pay until you got paid. So, because we realized it was a problem and we're totally revamping the entire system under Deputy Mayor Almanzar.

And we've created, for the first time, a Mayor's Office of Nonprofits so that nonprofits that are having challenges can come to that office and get their issues addressed. So, that office just got created in this administration.

You know, many of us up here ran nonprofits and we knew how difficult it was to do business with the city. And we are committed because nonprofits are some of our most important partners in the work that we do.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. And on the screen it said 4.2 million, it's 4.2 billion. Billion, yes. Commissioner Howard?

Commissioner Howard: So, my friend over there.

Oh y'all know each other.

Commissioner Howard: Oh, yeah. Yeah.

I just want to put things in proper perspective, all right, because we commonly say, you know, we don't, commissioners, we don't walk around with a checkbook, right? So, although we have nonprofit organizations that say fund me here, fund me there, it's a process. 

And for years— 10 years— we've been extending those requests for proposals and those programs and those after‑school programs, we've been extending them, kicking them down the road. What you have experienced is the result of that, where these requests for proposals haven't been opened up to non‑profits like you.

Question: [Inaudible.]

Commissioner Howard: We are changing that process. You will be seeing more RFPs coming out. But don't stop with me, because the council also funds non‑profit organizations as well. So, our esteemed city councilmember, okay?

All right?

You know,? You should be talking to your councilmembers as well, because they fund from $5,000 to a million dollars of funding. And I know, because DYCD manages those funding. But if you have a nonprofit organization— I have my staff here— that needs to be located for free, we do that too.

We call it co‑locators agreement, because our community‑based organizations that are funded based upon their contract, they have to have a relationship with organizations like you.

Question: [Inaudible.]

Commissioner Howard: Come see me. All right?

Mayor Adams: Okay?

Commissioner Howard: My friend.

Mayor Adams: Okay. And one of my pet peeves that I talk about all the time, you can't have five nonprofits on the block that does financial literacy. You can't have 20 on the same block that does [in‑game] gun violence. We have to consolidate.

And we have to be bold enough to say if I have all of the same non‑profits, why aren't we getting together and unifying, because the dollars are not endless, they're limited. If we consolidate and work together you could say all of these nonprofits that's providing the service, let's come together, and it doesn't have to be individual nonprofits doing the same thing.

And I hear that all the time. People stop me. I got a non‑violence for gun violence. I got a non‑violence for gun violence. I got a non‑violence for gun violence. I said, why is everybody not coming together to do this? Yes.

Question: ...we're doing that. We have four [inaudible] we had three non‑profits, we had five, the last one, we had seven. We had 22 non‑profits in Canarsie. We have to...

Mayor Adams: Good.

Question: ...to come together, but you know, they don't want to come together because he's getting [funds] from somebody and...

Mayor Adams: Yeah, well, I don't know. We've got to come together. thank you.

Commissioner Kreizman: Table Number 9.

Mayor Adams: The mic is not on.

Question: Thanks a lot. Please, Mr. Mayor...

Mayor Adams: Let me let you in on a secret: whenever somebody stands up to talk and somebody takes a camera, they're getting ready to beat me up. [Laughter.]

Question: No, no, no. Not tonight. Not tonight. Thank you for coming to Canarsie. My name is Jibreel Jalloh. I'm the founder of a non‑profit called the Flossy Organization based in Canarsie, Brooklyn. Thank you...

Mayor Adams: What is it called again?

Question: The Flossy. It's another way to call Canarsie.

Mayor Adams: Okay, I...

Question: Yes, yes.

So, I'm going to behave and keep it to my group's question. I have clergy leaders here, so of course, our question was on public safety, and we zeroed in on NYCHA neglect. At Bayview Houses, with the NYCHA development, we specifically want to talk about we lost two teenagers over the past two years: Javel Lawton, earlier this year on January 2nd, and [Jamea Jones], two years ago.

At Bayview Houses, the community center which we already heard about, we'd love to get that fixed by the NYCHA and NYCD commissioner, but there's also this program called Cure Violence. We do not have a site at Bayview Community Center. We've had multiple teenagers fatally shot and killed.

Our question around public safety, specifically to you, Mr. Mayor— and there's a two‑part question— can we get the 1.6 million that's needed to have a fully‑funded Cure Violence site at Bayview Houses? And, you had a Harbor of the Future initiative released, we just want to uplift that Bayview is right next to the Canarsie Pier, would love to have the ferry at Bayview Houses. Thank you so much.

Mayor Adams: Yes. Sheena, can we talk about, or whomever, talk about what we're doing, how much we're putting into Cure Violence initiative, whomever, whichever one of the two. I'm just used to saying Sheena.

Commissioner Howard: So, we have a record investment in Cure Violence work. We have 32 Cure Violence groups all over the city in different catchment areas that are working to stop shooting and working with the youth both in preventive programming and also in job opportunities and mentoring as well. 

Bayview, it was unfortunate with the incident that happened with the two young persons. I know that Man Up!, A.T. Mitchell, him and his organization have been out there working and making sure that there are intentional conversation and engaging that is happening over at Bayview. 

We need to look and we have been looking at the numbers in Bayview, just like we do and we examine and we talk with NYPD and Chief Lipetri and his office and we look at the stats. And we're trying to study it to see whether or not there is a need to build out a additional catchment in Bayview. 

So, we're almost there in reviewing and analyzing those data, but for now, A.T. Mitchell and Man Up!, they're actually working in the community to engage and to stop and to mediate the gun violence that's happening there.

Mayor Adams: Is A.T., A.T.'s here tonight? So, what we did, we elevated the crisis management team and that whole team, we elevated it to the deputy mayor's level in partnership. First Deputy Mayor, First Deputy Mayor is partnered with A.T. Mitchell on our gun violence task force because we wanted to show it the level of concern that it deserves. What are we spending on that, Sheena, do you know? Anyone knows the number we’re spending? 

First Deputy Mayor Wright: The total investment so far is about a half a billion dollars in the precincts that are most impacted by gun violence.

Mayor Adams: So, we were serious when we came in, because I was familiar with those groups beforehand.

What many people don't know about the crisis management teams, it was my bill— it was called SNUG, "guns" spelled backwards— in the State Senate, where I secured the first $5 million with then Majority Leader Malcolm Smith. It grew into what it is right now.

When I was State Senator, I got the first money to put into these types of programs. It went from $5 million dollars to half a billion dollars under this administration because all of these guys and ladies that are doing this work I know so well, and A.T. Mitchell has been doing it with Man Up for years.

So, our goal is to be preventive, and we're looking at it differently. We want to get these young people we come in contact with job applications. We want to tell them about resources, because a lot of these young people who are on the street corners doing this violence believe they don't have any alternative. And we're trying to show them that alternative. But thank you for that question.

Commissioner Kreizman: Table Number 10.

Question: How are you doing, Mr. Mayor?

Mayor Adams: How are you? Good to see you.

Question: Good to see you, too. I met you like when you was a borough president.

Mayor Adams: Okay. Okay.

Question: But anyway, my name is Kenny Jean‑Baptiste, right, I'm a community board member. I'm also a civic member. I'm also a block associate member, and I also work for the reentry program.

The reason I'm here and the reason I want to say, I wanted to address something that nobody here could address, meaning that they're not here personally to address it— at least I believe they're not— and it's the homelessness. Right?

Because of the many things I do, I go speak to the various type of individuals. And even though I definitely agree about there's too much homeless in the subway station and they need to come out, and I also agreed about the fact that cleaning off the street, which you are all doing a great job with that.

But I feel and they feel it's just on a Band‑Aid to the problem. The problem lies from when speaking to them is within the shelter system. They do not feel safe in the shelter system. They feel safer among us, living among us. And that's the issue.

If they somehow start to feel safe in the shelter system where they could feel that they could put a garment there and nobody's going to try to cut them or steal their sneakers and stuff they will stay in the shelter system.

So, my question to you, are you addressing or it's something that you recognize to be an issue; and if it is, what steps are you taking to go forward?

Mayor Adams: Well, first, and I'm hoping that everyone didn't miss what this brother said when he first started talking. This brother's engaged. [Laughter.] I mean, he's on community board, reentry program. He gave us a list of things that he's doing. And so when people start saying that Black men don't step up, you're just disrupting that whole myth. And I want to thank you for being engaged.

Our goal is for people not to stay in the shelter system. Our goal is if a child grows up homeless, that's less likely to graduate from high school; and if you don't educate, you incarcerate.

And you just have this constant path of people spending years upon years in the shelter system. So, it's not our goal to have people wanting to stay in the shelter system. We want them to use those 10,000 vouchers that they're walking around with and get permanent housing. That's our goal.

But while they're there, we have an obligation and responsibility to make sure that they're safe, to make sure that they're able to be there, get the services that they need and not be the victims of crime. We're doing that. Our shelter system is a safe place. Yes, we have, you know, individuals participating in violent behavior, but we immediately go in and address it.

We do not ignore it. We do not state that because someone is homeless they should not have the dignity of being in a safe environment. We respond to any calls of services.

But the overall goal for us is to get people out of the system and just make them self‑sustaining. That's our overall goal. Thank you.

Commissioner Kreizman: And we have the DSS Administrator here, Joslyn Carter.

Joslyn Carter, Administrator, Department of Social Services: Mr. Mayor, could I just...

Commissioner Kreizman: Joslyn Carter.

Mayor Adams: I know, yes.

Carter: I just wanted to add, Mr. Mayor, you said it perfectly correctly. I think one of the things that we also wanted to make sure is that as people come into us that they are getting their needs met and moving to permanency. And there's small fractions of individuals who may behave badly, but the most majority of people who are in shelter and who are in spaces that we are supervising are well behaved and are well taken...doing what they need to do to move to permanency.

So they're following, you know, regulations, they're going to work like you and I, and we want to make sure that we're treating them with dignity and respect while they're in services with us. So, thank you.

Mayor Adams: Well said. And you don't hear these, you know, outrageous incidents happening in our shelter system because of the work that the team is doing, which is a challenge, because we also have people who are dealing with real mental health issues that we have to be there and give them the services that they deserve and treat them with the dignity that they deserve. But you know, thank you for that question. What you guys got going on over there?

Commissioner Kreizman: Sherman, Number 10, Table Number 11. Sherman, Table Number 11?

Mayor Adams: What are you doing Sherman?

Commissioner Kreizman: Let's give it to a person to ask the question. 

Mayor Adams: Yes. Let's do 12. Let's come back to 11 because they got something going on over there. I could just feel the energy. We are going to come back, Sister. We're going to come back. We're going to come back. I just, you know what? I could just feel that energy. 

Question: Good evening, family.

Mayor Adams: Good evening.

Question: Yes. Yes, I will. You know, it is said that a lie goes faster than the truth. And I have to commend you also, mayor, for an open line for addressing the misinformation and disinformation that's flowing out there. And I commend you for that.

Now, I'm part of Block Association 104, and the issues that we're having in the community is sinkholes. We have a neighbor, their basement cracked, no, actually it collapsed from the back of the house to the front of the house, four feet deep. And then after that, the family went and they asked for insurance and they went to flood insurance and they couldn't get any help.

Now they are shelling out over $70,000 to fix this. And then now we had a slight meeting and now four other houses, their basements collapsed. Then we started hearing that other neighbors in Canarsie are having the same situation.

Now, family, we went through Sandy and our homes values went down. So, now, if this is going on in Canarsie with the sinkholes, now imagine if all these homes collapse. Our homes will... We will not have... It will devalue. And it's going on all across.

We just want to know, is there any aid for this for these families and the cause? We're being told that it is swampland and marshland, but is that the answer? And can this, these families also, where can they seek for aid for this?

And last thing, one last thing, sorry.

Mayor Adams: No, go ahead. Go ahead.

Question: One last thing and I'm sorry.

Mayor Adams: No, it's all good. 

Question: I'm driving and I get a ticket, because of course, I went past 25 miles per hour. Oh, no, hold on. Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. Hold on, hold on, hold on. Sorry. I'm very, very sorry, but this is very important also.

Mayor Adams: No, go ahead. Go ahead, finish. Um‑hmm.

Question: Boom, boom. I get a ticket. Okay, I gotta pay for that. Where I'm going with this, family, is fare evasion. Wherever we're going, it's like, why are we paying for unlimited MetroCards and also our fares are going up but yet so many people are just walking through. You go to Canarsie by Rockaway, it's open territory for everybody just to walk in there like if they're waiting for a limousine.

I'm sorry, this is it, 10 seconds. I had, this lady came in, she just walked right in, then she got on the L train and then she just started talking about her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

I mean, come on. What are we doing about fare evasion and sinkholes? Thank you so much. I'm sorry, family.

Mayor Adams: No, no, no, no. They're both legit.

And Chief Kemper— who's the chief of the transit police— and I agree: I think we made a big mistake when we stopped prosecuting fare evasions. That sent the wrong message. That sent the wrong message. You know, all we could do is enforce. The prosecutors must make a determination if they're going to prosecute the cases.

And if you can't afford to pay your fare, there's a method of going and speaking to the token booth clerk so that you're able to get on. So, there are methods to do so. But I think we created a culture where people just don't believe that they should pay their fare. And I just think we created a culture where people just don't respect the rights and the properties of others. And that's why we dug into some of the shoplifting. Folks are just walking in stores and just taking what they want and just walking out, you know. 

So, we have enforcement for fare evasion. Chief Kemper is doing that. And if there's a specific location, then the token booth clerk should be notifying the transit district and tell them there's a problem with fare evasion here.

Now, with the sinkhole, DEP, do we have...

Commissioner Kreizman: Yes, he's here, Rit.

Assistant Commissioner Daughtry: And we do know about the fare evasion. Fare evasion arrests are up. But think about this: when people hop the turnstile, we just don't want to arrest them and take them to jail for hopping the turnstile.

We want to know why, they hopped a turnstile. Do they need money? Do they need food? We want to know a little more about them. We'll check them for warrants to see if they have any warrants, and then we'll give them a warn and admonish, meaning, hey, listen, please don't do it again.

Now, the bad people that are hopping the turnstiles, we lock them up, and guess what? We are catching a lot of people that hopped a turnstile carrying weapons, guns, knives. And this is not their first, this is not their first offense.

But we will take a look at the station that you mentioned, I promise. Maybe when Chief Kemper leaves at meeting you at five o'clock in the morning he can go over to this train station and go check that out.

But I promise. It's the same station? Oh, so we're gonna kill two birds with one stone, then. So, we will take a look at that personally, I promise you. But I will assure that the cops are making arrests for fare evasion. Our fare evasion arrests are up tremendously.

Commissioner Kreizman: And we have Rit here.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Thank you for that question.

Commissioner Kreizman: We have Rit from DEP.

Audience members: Sinkholes! Sinkhole!

Mayor Adams: Oh, DEP. Rit please. Commissioner Aggarwala is in DEP, talk about the sinkholes.

Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala, Department of Environmental Protection: Yes. Good evening. Thank you.

First of all, I'm not aware of this contiguous sinkhole problem, so I'm going to get your contact information, and I'll follow up.

So, I'll certainly follow up on that. What I do know is that one of the things that we have been looking into is increasingly around the city, particularly in Brooklyn and southern Queens, a little bit on Staten Island, an increase in groundwater. 

And that's something that's happening up and down the Eastern seaboard; in fact, it's a result in part of climate change: as sea level rises, it's pushing more water underground. And that's something that there's been a lot of academic research.

We are working right now with the US Geological Survey to do a set of borings around the city so that we can get real data and monitor how groundwater is changing. That's a long‑term project, that's not going to help you right now. But one of the things I will certainly follow up, I'm not going to promise, mayor, if it's okay, to do it at 5:00 a.m.

But we will certainly follow up over the coming days and I'll get your address this evening and we'll figure out. Of course, if there's a sinkhole that's caused because the city's infrastructure is defective, then you have the opportunity to file a claim against the city.

But if it is groundwater that is not as a result of the city's infrastructure, then you're right, there's a real problem. We don't actually have a program right now specific to groundwater. There may be opportunities at HPD or other sources for funding.

And I will conclude just by saying— I think it's an important reminder— we are constantly encouraging all New Yorkers, especially homeowners, to look into getting flood insurance. The problem that you had is if you don't have the flood insurance, the time you need it, you can't get it. You have to get it in advance. It's the case with all insurance.

Question: [inaudible].

Commissioner Aggarwala: I'm sorry?

Question: [inaudible] right now in my house. My house is [inaudible].

Commissioner Aggarwala: Well...

Question: [inaudible] because I'm sick and tired and I want to [inaudible].

Mayor Adams: What's that? Hold on, man. What is that? What's that? What's that?

Question: [inaudible].

Mayor Adams: Huh, what's that?

Question: It's cracking.

Mayor Adams: Your basement?

Question: My basement is cracking!

Mayor Adams: Um‑hmm.

Question: And it's lift up like an earthquake.

Mayor Adams: Um‑hmm.

Question: And I don't have no...

Mayor Adams: Hold on. Ma'am. Ma'am. We got it. We got it. We hear you.

Question: No. No, it's...

Mayor Adams: You said the basement is cracking

Question: The basement, it's lift up.

Mayor Adams: Right.

Question: It's cracking!

Mayor Adams: It's sinking!

Question: And I don't have nowhere to go. When I called Allstate, Allstate said they're not covered. And I [have] flood insurance, they said they're not covered. So, I need to know where to go, because I'm sick, I am sick.

Mayor Adams: Okay, ma'am. Ma'am. Ma'am.

Question: [inaudible].

Mayor Adams: Okay, hold on. Hold on. Hold on.

Question: I can't take it, mayor.

Mayor Adams: Ma'am. Okay. Okay. So, listen, what I got...

Question: I need to know where to go.

Mayor Adams: Listen. Fred is my commissioner...

Question: I need to know where to go!

Mayor Adams: Ma'am. Ma'am. Ma'am. Ma'am. Stay with me for a moment. Stay with me for a moment.

Question: I'm sick! I am sick!

Mayor Adams: Okay? Fred from...

Question: My [inaudible] is open. I had my head issue four times. I am sick and tired!

Mayor Adams: Okay, we don't want you, we don't want your pressure to go up. Okay? We got you. So, so we're going to, we're going to have my [inaudible] unit person.

Question: People need to come in my house.

Mayor Adams: Yes, we're gonna do that.

Question: [inaudible].

Mayor Adams: We're gonna do that.

Question: I paid my mortgage already.

Mayor Adams: Okay?

Question: But I'm tired.

Question: [Inaudible] I am tired. I'm tired every day. I don't know what to do!

Mayor Adams: Okay.

Question: Mayor, it's not fair.

Mayor Adams: We got it. We're going to work with you on it, okay?

Question: It's not fair. It's not fair. I am sick. I don't know where to go. [Inaudible].

Mayor Adams: We'll make sure her stuff...grab her stuff.

Commissioner Kreizman: Okay.

Mayor Adams: Yes. No, I got you. Yes, same sinkhole. So, the team is going to, so we're going to look, we're going to look and...

[Crosstalk.]

We're going to look. So, Rit, what we can do, Fred.

Commissioner Kreizman: Yes.

Mayor Adams: Put together a little group and we'll work with the councilwoman. First of all, you've got one of the best council people in the city. You know, she's a real fighter.

She's a real fighter. So, councilwoman, so what we can do with DEP and let's go out and we can even get one of our state insurance chairs to go out because it seems like the insurance company's trying to play games. 

So, let us put a team together and let's look at this, you know.

And let me tell you something.

You know, what that Sister just displayed that a lot of people don't understand, our homes is all we have.

That is, you know, that is all our wealth. And when you can't stay in your home, I remember coming out here after Sandy and walking through the streets and watching, you know, what this community has gone through.

You know, that is the response of someone, you know, you build up everything you have and all of a sudden you can't stay in that place. That's traumatic. That's, you saw the trauma of that.

And so we're going to do the best that we can. Some things are, we're going to put the team together, I'm going to work with the councilperson. We're going to go in, we're going to look at the sinkhole like we did in Staten Island and see who could help because someone has to help. And that is what we're going to do.

Commissioner Kreizman: Table Number 13.

Mayor Adams: How are you? Is that on?

Question: Good evening, everyone, and good evening, Mayor.

Mayor Adams: Is the mic on?

Question: Thank you. Good evening, everyone, and good evening, Mayor Adams. My name is [Rana Forga], and I attend Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences. And I came to speak on behalf of special needs students, because the number of students with special needs is increasing every day.

And at school, the children have the support of their teachers and educators, but when they get home, the caregivers and the parents continue to need resources and tools to support their children. So, my question is, what is the city doing to support these families to empower their children? Thank you.

Mayor Adams: Thank you.

Do you want to... 

Commissioner Kreizman: DOE? 

Mayor Adams: We've got DOE here.

Commissioner Kreizman: We've got the deputy chancellor.

Mayor Adams: Thank you.

Deputy Chancellor Kenita Lloyd, Department of Education: So, thank you for your question. And we do, we understand what it means to be a caregiver, we understand what it means to be a caregiver of a student with special needs.

We have done a tremendous amount of work in this administration to completely, to overhaul our system for special education, and that work continues. Our teams work very closely with the Special Education Advisory Council who help to inform them about the needs and issues facing our parents, our families and our schools.

We have our community, our citywide council on special education that also lifts those issues up for our chancellor and our team. I'd love to talk to you after about the specific family that you mentioned and some of the needs that maybe we aren't hearing, and I can learn from you.

Mayor Adams: But so and help me for a moment. Give her back the mic. First of all, thank you for coming out today, okay?

So, what are some of the things you believe should be done or we could do to sort of assist those parents that are home? Is this mommy?

Question: No.

Mayor Adams: Okay.

You know, I'm a mama's boy, you know. So, what are some of the things that you think we, that you think we could do to be...

Question: Maybe you could implement more like community program to support these families at home, maybe to provide them more resources or possibly give them awareness of the resources that they have around them.

Mayor Adams: Okay. I'm pretty sure many of you may know Lucina Clarke out here from My Time Inc. She's a very, very good friend that I knew from my senate days. And so what we, if I'm hearing the young lady correctly, information is the key.

So, I'm not sure what we're doing to let parents know, like a resource guide, you know, on letting them know what services are available so that they'll know, because there are many services that are available, and what we find is that people are not taking advantage of the services that are available because they're not aware of them.

So, we need to figure out how do we let parents that have a child with special needs to know, here is your resources. And that's what Lucina Clarke has been great at doing. She sits down with a group of parents that are dealing with children with special needs and she lets them know and she fights and advocates on their behalf.

So, we need to do a better job of letting those parents know where resources are available. But thank you for raising that question.

Question: Thank you.

Commissioner Kreizman: And the councilmember would just like to add one thing.

Mayor Adams: Yes.

Councilmember Narcisse: I don't want to talk much tonight, it's your night, but I have to let the young lady know that Lucina Clarke, My Time Inc., is in our office once a month on a Wednesday, so call our office. Because anything, any programs that you need, even the young lady that just had the breakdown talking about this, should have been in my office.

My office is open, it's a headquarter for the community. So, you are welcome on Wednesday, Ms. Lucina Clarke is there.

Mayor Adams: So, spread the word. Lucina Clark. But we would do a better job of getting the information out to the people; and again, thank you for that question.

Commissioner Kreizman: And I also just want to acknowledge on the last table, Table 12, we have the district manager, [Sue Anne Pantrow], for here from the CB18. Table 14.

Mayor Adams: Okay.

Question: Yes, good evening. How are you doing, Mr. Mayor?

Mayor Adams: Good, how are you?

Question: [Tyro McDonnell] from [Neighbor] Housing Services of Brooklyn. Just as a side note, we will talk to you offline and also your commissioners offline regarding the whole sinkhole issue, which we've been a part of.

But as far as the question, one issue that came up on my table was an issue of safety and traffic. On East 87th and Avenue J, it's a one‑way street, and one of the residents on that block has a problem of cars driving in the wrong direction, all right?

She advocated fiercely and continuously with no results to get like a do not enter sign. She hasn't been successful. You know, so how does this can be addressed, because you know she's very frustrated and many people on the block is very frustrated and we don't want something to happen until, you know, the city says, well, X‑Y‑Z should have been done.

Mayor Adams: Talk to me.

Commissioner Kreizman: Borough Commissioner Keith Bray.

Borough Commissioner Bray: Yes. So, basically, if there are problems with cars going down the wrong way on the street, we will put up do not enter signs and also directional signs to let them know that that's the wrong way to go.

And we will, in the next coming days, like a day or two, we will go out to that block and see what the problem is and try to get a resolve. So, that's a public safety issue, as you said. Cars should not be going the wrong way down the streets, that can cause crashes. So, we will definitely look into that very, very quickly to address that problem.

Mayor Adams: Tell me something, what is needed to put that sign up? Is there some type of studies, what's needed?

Borough Commissioner Bray: Yes. I mean, we'll have our staff look to study the location just to see if the signage is not there. It may have gone missing and just needs to be replaced; and if not, because of the problem he just said tonight, we know now that's an issue and just needs to be addressed. So, we'll put the right sign. 

Mayor Adams: Okay. So tomorrow, when you put the sign up...

When you put the sign up.... Where'd the brother go? Oh, come on, man, you gotta stay with me!

We're gonna get that sign up, okay? All right, no, it's all good. Okay, so, huh? It's your street? Okay.

Question: ...saying that they're no longer putting those signs [inaudible].

Mayor Adams: Do we have those signs? Are they still, we do have those signs?

Commissioner Bray: They're asking for, we do have those signs and we should have them in place.

Mayor Adams: Okay. Okay. All right. So, tomorrow, when they put the sign up, okay? Let's get this up tomorrow.

Commissioner Kreizman: So, Patrick, just make sure you get the location so we can give it to the commissioner.

Mayor Adams: Right.

Commissioner Kreizman: And before we go to Table 15, I just want to thank our Brooklyn Borough Director Anastasia Yaskova who helped put this together.

Thank you very much. And that last table now, Table Number 15. 

Question: Good evening, everybody. 

Mayor Adams: Good evening.

Question: Thank you, Honorable Mayor Adams, elected officials, residents and this table for allowing me to speak and speak last. And it's a lot. I'll be quick though, because I'm going to speak on behalf of something that my son shared with me. He's also 17, so shout out to the few youth members that attended here, because we definitely need more of you.

Really, really... 

Mayor Adams: Is this your son here? 

Question: Yes. 

Mayor Adams: Okay. 

Question: He is. So, a mix of everything. We need to activate and nurture and reimagine streetscapes and districts. Vacant commercial spaces must be affordable for people of color to innovate. Individualized space will give people freedom of movement and change and scenery, new locations make people explore their community, themselves and build community.

We decide the value of Canarsie rather than having others make that decision for us. And it's coming, it's practically here already. One size does not fit all. A library, a school and a community center are all amazing things, but we need more.

So again, my name is [Eileen Lovell], and I'm the founder of Parle Faux Cinema. I'm half Haitian, and Parle Faux means to speak up. I am an entrepreneur, and that extra space that I'm talking about is having a movie theater in Canarsie.

And the reason why I say that is because all these spaces that we keep talking about, it's as if we've boxed ourselves as Black and Brown people, mixed‑race people, that schools and libraries and community centers are all the places that we exist in. And it's not true.

When you go into other neighborhoods like Park Slope and downtown Brooklyn, they have galleries. I'm the head of education at an Oscar qualifying film festival, the New York International Children's Film Festival. And do you know how many people from these communities even know about us?

But part of my job is to go in to NYCHA, because God bless NYCHA, the beating heart of New York City, constantly stigmatized and stereotyped because they don't have enough. But that's the plan. It's a systemic plan that when you come into communities such as ours that you will see, as you stated, right?

You said there's so many nonprofits, so how come we don't condense them? Well, why are there so many bodegas and beauty supply stores and Dollar Tree stores? Why? So, all I ask, you know, a closed mouth does not get fed.

Commissioner Kreizman: What's the question for the table? 

Question: I want a movie theater here.

Mayor Adams: Let... 

Question: And please tell me... 

Mayor Adams: Stop doing that. Stop doing that. Let her finish.

Question: I'm sorry. This is like my moment, right?

Mayor Adams: Oh, no, and you can finish.

Question: Our moment.

Mayor Adams: The rule was, you speak, I listen; I speak, you listen.

Question: Thank you. Thank you.

Mayor Adams: So, we're not going to cut you off.

Question: I received a grant from the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, and I can't thank you enough, because that grant allowed me to purchase equipment that I use and I drag to NYCHA and I show free films as much as I can for free.

And I can't tell you that by the end of every single screening, like films like yours talking about the waterway, or films about saving Section 9, that's the power of film, because your story is reflected right back to you.

But there's no movie theater in Canarsie, and there's no movie theater no longer in Southeast Brooklyn. It's like you have a house with no windows. It's as if we don't get to innovate or think or dream bigger.

Movie theaters matter, and I'm not saying it's more important than housing or poverty or parks or anything like that. What I'm saying is more. We just need more, because our story is bigger than just the basic.

So my question is, how do we bring a movie theater back to Canarsie? Another entrepreneurial space that will simply revitalize and add more color to an already incredible community that I love?

Mayor Adams: And my son is a filmmaker. You know, and the way you bring that theater back, someone stated that there was a theater here. Didn't someone say there's a theater that's closed down?

Yeah. So, you have a location already. Mobilize the community together to get it open. And it could be a series of things. Like you said, you got a grant from the administration. And I noticed that often people clap, they didn't give me a clap when we gave you that grant, though, you know that?

You know. But look at that project. Bring together a group, Canarsie for Theater, organize the people together, solicit resources from all the entities that can come in to make that a reality. If it's from using the space for not only just to show movies, but what you're doing. 

You could get money from DYCD by turning it into not only a theater place but using it for an anti‑violence initiative, teaching filmmaking. So, there's ways to get, once you identify the space, then we put the operation together on how we can turn it back into that theater you're talking about. 

Wherever, it could be a community theater where we could teach our young people how to do filmmaking. What is the business of being a producer? What is the business of fixing a projector, a camera? There's so much we can do with this. I would love to partner with you and bring that theater to Canarsie.

Commissioner Kreizman: And Mr. Mayor, we have just Table 11, has their question now.

Mayor Adams: Are you sure? I mean, I'm almost afraid to go back over there.

Question: Hi, my name is Brenda. I'm a resident and community member of Community Council District 18. Some of these issues have already been answered, but we do have like specific concerns and that was like kind of what happened.

As community members that feel ignored with concerns related to lack of merchants, scooters, e‑bikes issues and the [inaudible] of youth programs that result in detention, we feel that we're being ignored.

But you addressed these issues, which include the absence of communication with New York Health + Hospitals and Community Council District 18 communities which also includes the concerns and high demand to remove these scooters off the streets.

Like we feel that Marine Park residents also are not being, like we don't have any communication with New York Health + Hospitals and we know that the Hall Street Migrant Shelters have. So, we would like a meeting just like they did.

Mayor Adams: You lost me.

Because you went from scooters, to the Health + Hospitals. to migrants, like, come on, narrow it down for me, because I... You lost me. I'm just being honest.

Question: Well, I guess is the rules of the HERRC at Floyd Bennett Field needs to be addressed.

Mayor Adams: Okay.

Question: And Marine Park residents feel that they're not being heard, like the whole migrant shelters. And then that also relates back to the issues of the scooters and e‑bikes that are being in the neighborhood, so.

Mayor Adams: Got it. Got it. Got it. Got it. So, listen...

Commissioner Kreizman: We have Molly Schaeffer.

Mayor Adams: As Chief Chell stated, you know, what was the number? How many we removed off the streets?

Chief Chell: Combined scooters and ghost cars 51,000.

Mayor Adams: 51,000— 51,000 that we removed off the streets, 51,000.

There is no joy we have of opening Floyd Bennett Field. No joy. No joy in opening and disrupting the community out in Queens at Creedmoor, Randall's Island. We have no joy in this. The laws require us to do this. We ran out of space, 177,000 people, 1.5 the size of Albany dropped into our city.

And people are told you can't work, all you can do is sit around all day. We have to find space. There's no joy that we had in opening it up. Let me, no, no, no, you know that, you know that, you know, I'm going to let you follow up, but I just want to get to the point.

And so while we're doing that, we're doing proper security, we're doing proper enforcement. The overwhelming number of migrant and asylum seekers only want to do one thing, they want to work. We need to give them the authority to work, and we have the jobs to get them employed.

I need all of us in this room to send a strong communication to Washington D.C. this should not be happening to New York, should not be happening to Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston. All of these cities are feeling the weight of this and it is financially impacting all of us.

But we are going to do our job to do the proper enforcement and keep the peace while we navigate out of this crisis that we're in.

Question: So, I guess what I'm saying is like that we, you know, if we have to do that, right, we're under law obligated to do so, then we should still set up some communication within the community that's hosting the humanitarian response and relief center because the community members feel that they're being ignored.

And so we could just set rules just like in other places like enforce the rules then maybe that'll be better for the situation. You know.

Mayor Adams: So, when you talk about the communication, we want to do that. Deputy Mayor Williams‑Isom and her entire team, if you put together a group of folks that we can sit inside and sit down and give you the rundown of what we're doing. We have clear rules for people who are inside our migrant and asylum, we call them HERRCs, and we're putting curfews in place, we're modifying things.

So, this was dropped in our lap, and we had to figure out and build an entire shelter system overnight— an entire shelter system. The shelter system we had in place was in place for decades. Overnight, we had to build the entire shelter system.

We only had, how many homeless did we have in the system prior? Prior to...

We had, think about this folks, we had 45,000 people in our homeless system. In one year of our homeless system, little over a year, those 45,000 were still there, and then we had another 177,000. We had to build, something that took decades to build, this team had to build overnight— overnight.

And Molly, you wanted to respond to...?

Molly Shaeffer, Director, Office of Asylum Seeker Operations: Yes. We're happy to meet with you. Jenny, my Chief of Staff is there. She'll follow up. Get your information.

Mayor Adams: Okay. Jenny from the block.

Okay, so let's sit down. They will show you what they're doing, how they're doing, how we want to maintain that area. But let's not kid ourselves. You put a group of people in a place and say you can't do anything all day. It's a terrible scenario. 

Question: That's why we have to enforce the rules.

Mayor Adams: And that's what we're doing. Okay?

Commissioner Kreizman: The councilmember would just like to make one remark.

Mayor Adams: Thank you.

Councilmember Narcisse: So, for tonight I want to say that the mayor been excellent and I thank you for the work for the amazing work for being here with us...

And on that note, for anyone that wants to follow up, remember I'm between you and the mayor. So, our office always open for you to address all the issues. And all the agencies here this evening, put your hands together for all the agencies, because they make the mayor look good.

And I'm going to invite all of you to come back to our District, 46 is a home for everyone. So, after that, I'm going to call and make sure everyone comes back. 

And on that note, for the parks, since this evening I heard people talking about the parks there's a lot of money but they have to talk about the mayor. So, on May 5th I'm going to do the state address of our district, so that's when you're going to get all the report of all your money. 

And I'm here to work on your behalf. So, all the agencies, all the organizations, 63 Precinct, 69 Precinct, the Community Board 18, everyone, all the members of the community, and I want to say from the bottom of my heart thank you. And church lands is a problem, and I heard it loud and clear. So, we're going to talk that, all the sinkhole, all the things. So, mayor, from the bottom of my heart, I want to say a welcome, welcome to Canarsie. 

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Thank you. So, we have some follow‑ups to do. We're going to look at the sinkhole situation. We're going to look at the train station. The train station, we're going to look at...

Commissioner Kreizman: DOT signage...

Mayor Adams: What were the other follow ups we have to do?

Commissioner Kreizman: DOT signage.

Mayor Adams: I'm sorry? The signage tomorrow...

Commissioner Kreizman: The lights. 

Mayor Adams: The lights we're going to follow up on, on the lights. And we're seeing you, what was.... We were seeing her on something also. Thank you. Thank you, Canarsie.