Transcript: Mayor Eric Adams Conducts a Series of Interviews Leading up to his First 100 Days in Office on Sunday

April 8, 2022

Appears live on WABC7

Mike Marza: In his first 100 days in office, New York Mayor Adams has faced incredible challenges. The coronavirus pandemic, a challenging economic recovery, increasing homelessness, and a rise in gun violence in the city streets. And now, as we look toward the future, we are also reflecting on those first days in office. Mayor Adams, joining us now live to discuss all of that. Mayor, always great to see you. We appreciate you making the time this morning.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. Good morning.

Marza: Well, I want to begin with something that is top of mind for all of us here in this city, and that's crime. During your campaign, you talked a lot about public safety and making New York City's streets safer. But in your first 100 days in office, crime is up nearly across the board. So, as we reflect on those first 100 days, even though it is just been 100 days, what's your assessment of how you're tackling it? And what letter grade would you give yourself on trying to fight the crime?

Mayor Adams: I'm a tough grader, but clearly these problems have been decades in the making, as we witness this problem all over our country and over proliferation of handguns on our streets. I have to really thank the commissioner. We are laying the foundation to move us to a safe city. We removed over 1,000 guns off the streets in the City of New York, and that continued flow is still here. And so the next steps is to look at the results of our anti-gun unit, something that we just rolled out. They have made over a 100 arrests after being initiated. We also are looking at some of those quality of life issues. And so, we have a long way to go. We are incomplete on the tasks that we want to look at this systemic problem that we've existed and really has swept this entire country.

Marza: The last time we spoke, mayor, you mentioned a lot about the partnership with Albany and how all of that ties together in fighting crime. And lawmakers in Albany are now voting on this new budget that includes some of the changes you push for. We're talking about bail reform and the expansion of Kendra's Law, which allows judges to force certain mentally ill people to get treatment. And so, what in particular do you think these changes will mean for public safety?

Mayor Adams: Well, details are still emerging. If the details are true, we have to really look at the success that we were able to move Albany in the right direction. Clearly, we're going to receive millions of dollars with my People's Plan, earned income tax credit, childcare, all of those things that I state are the feeders of crime. But I will commend the lawmakers and the governor. They have taken steps to improve some of the crime issues around bail, around ensuring those who are dealing with the evidentiary part of crime, fighting crime, but we have a long way to go. This is halftime, there's so much more we have to do. The policies are not really put out in the budget, they put out throughout the next end, in the next few months when the session ends. And I'm going to be up there, continuing to look at everything from mayoral control, we have over a million children who are depending on mayoral control, which is another feeder of crime if we don't get it right. And so, I'm looking forward to that continuing conversation.

Marza: Another part of your initiative has been trying to get people off the streets and a quality of life issue that you've talked a lot about. What are the people who get off the streets, kicked out of the subways, and these encampments that are being disbanded, where do they go? And are there enough services and resources and places for the people who are homeless to go here in the city?

Mayor Adams: Yes, yes, and yes, there are places for them to go. This is a right to shelter state and right to shelter city, and we should be clear on that. No one is turned away. But we also are creating many safe haven beds for those who are dealing with mental health illnesses. And so, it's not that we are kicking them out of the subway system, we're being humane. There's nothing dignified about allowing people to live in tents, live homeless on a subway system, not having access to showers, food, healthcare, and we're turning that around. I'm really impressed with the team coming together to make sure the coordination of those who know how to give the social services that are needed. Our law enforcement, our Department of Sanitation. We have to have a clean, safe city, particularly on our subway system, and we are moving in that direction.

Marza: Mayor Adams, as you know, COVID cases climbing again here in the city. Manhattan, now under this yellow alert, the second in your new four tier system. How concerned should we be?

Mayor Adams: Oh, I clearly say all the time, we should be prepared and not panic. We are here to clearly understand that we turned around the onslaught of COVID through several issues that we've had in the last few years and new variants that come out, extremely challenging. But New Yorkers did the right thing. We wore the mask, we took our vaccines, we made sure we social distanced and we're seeing a great recovery. New Yorkers are going back to work and you can see the excitement down at Times Square, tourists are returning. And so, we're learning that part of COVID we must live with, but if we make the right decisions, such as taking our booster shots, we will be prepared for the future. So, let's not panic, let's be prepared. We have better tools than what we had when COVID first hit our city.

Marza: And I have time for about one more question. And so Mr. Mayor, Sanitation Commissioner Ed Grayson announced that he is leaving the department. Was this his decision?

Mayor Adams: Yes, it was. We come and sit down and we talk with all of our commissioners at the beginning, and then we do an evaluation. He has been an amazing leader for this city. As you witnessed during these snow storms, during the cleanups that we had to take place. From day one, after the ball drop, we saw all the confetti, but the next day, Times Square was up and operated. And during the difficult time, through the schools' year when we had a snowstorm and we said we wanted to keep the schools open, we turned to Commissioner Grayson, and each time we turned to him, he responded. I cannot thank him enough, and New Yorkers thank him for the years of service he has provided for us as we move through our city.

Marza: Mayor Adams, the Mets won last night. I know you're going to the Bronx today for the Yankees home openers. So, have a good day out at the ballpark and thanks so much for spending your morning with us. We appreciate it.

Mayor Adams: Thank you, take care.

Appears live on WNBC4

Jen Maxfield: New York City Mayor Eric Adams vowed to, "Get stuff done," during his first 100 days in office. And as we approach that milestone, the Mayor's joining us live to discuss how it's going and what's ahead.

Darlene Rodriguez: That's right. Good morning, Mr. Mayor. It's so great to have you with us this morning at this early hour.

Mayor Adams: Good morning. Good to speak to you both.

Rodriguez: Yeah. Well, Mr. Mayor, there's so much fear right now. Major crimes up 36 percent. A lot of New Yorkers feeling fear, especially with the subways, and you put more police on the trains and you have some initiatives going, but I think a lot of us who especially grew up in New York City, it feels a lot like late '80s, early '90s. So, I think the question is, you're 100 days in and working on things, when will we see the results?

Mayor Adams: Oh, I am a tough grader and I believe that I want results instantly, but clear, if we reflect on this moment, these problems are decades in the making. Not only here in New York, we're seeing the impact of COVID sweep our entire country, the over proliferation of handguns, just the mental health issues that we are facing, homelessness, as you indicated. So I will be honest with New Yorkers and tell us what the problems are and then we're going to look at what we have done thus far and what we're going to do in the future.

Mayor Adams: That is everything from our anti-gun unit that we initiated and our police department. We've removed over 1,000 guns off our streets thus far this year. My anti-gun unit has made over 100 arrests and has removed close to 30 something guns from the streets. And then our homeless initiative, we are no longer tolerating encampments on our streets, homelessness on our subway systems, and so we are laying the foundation so we can turn this ship around and our city's going to be one of the safe cities in America and continue to do so.

Maxfield: Mayor Adams, I wanted to stay on the subject of crime for a moment. The state budget includes criminal reforms. Judges will now be able to set bail for more crimes. Do you take any credit for that change? I know that you've mentioned recidivism as being a possible cause for the rise in crime here in this city. What do you think this change in bail reform will mean for crime in the city?

Mayor Adams: Well, it's all about partnerships and working together. I am extremely happy that you're seeing elements of my People's Plan that I brought to Albany, earned income tax credits, dollars back in the pockets of New Yorkers, millions of dollars. We're looking at—childcare appears to be in the budget. If these initiatives are true, the budget, they're coming out and continue to be announced. And then when you look at public safety, while I commend the governor and lawmakers for some of the proposals that they've made, which many people stated was impossible when I went to Albany. But it's clear we have a long way to go. This is only half time. We have an entire session left and I'm going to continue to push towards some of those important initiatives of how we help the police department continue to make this a safe city.

Rodriguez: All right. Well, do you think, when we talk about Albany, the budget that was approved, do you feel, Mayor Adams, like it does enough to help the city with the resources that you talk about you needing for crime, for homelessness, and issues that you've identified?

Mayor Adams: Well, this is a starting place. This part of the budget deals with the dollars and cents. Now, we are going to start looking at the actual policies. As the lawmakers stated, they did not want to do policies in the budget. This is the opportunity to do so. It's important to get Kendra's Law right, as you see what's emerging from the budget now, so that those who are dealing with mental health illnesses and can't take care of themselves and are dangers to others that we can have them get the care that they deserve. And so the next few months we are going to continue to talk with our partners in Albany so that we can give New York the resources they need and the resources they deserve.

Rodriguez: So the last time we talked, you were introducing vegan meals. There's Meatless Monday, Vegan Friday. So our producer, [inaudible] who's in the second grade, I think his review so far is so-so. What are your thoughts on how it's going?

Mayor Adams: It's a transition for our children. When you think about the fact that every day we’re fighting with childhood obesity, childhood diabetes, and other food related illnesses, believe it or not, we are starting the process of stating we are not going to be the feeder of healthcare crises. Plant-based meals, our children were asking for this for years. All of us, I know when I was a child I hated that lunch food that was in the classroom. So it's about being proactive, going upstream to prevent crises, and not wait downstream to pull our children and our families out of crises.

Rodriguez: All right, Mr. Adams, it was so nice talking to you. Mr. Mayor, thank you for being with us again this morning.

Maxfield: We appreciate the time.

Mayor Adams: Thank you, take care.

Appears live on FOX5’s “Good Day NY”

Bianca Peters: Well New York City, the best city in the world, takes someone very accomplished to be able to manage that. Mayor Eric Adams will be hitting 100 days in office by the end of the weekend. There's been a lot that he's had to deal with.

Rosanna Scotto: And he's had to deal with it from the first day he was in office. And we have the mayor with us this morning. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, thank you so much for coming back on Good Day New York.

Mayor Adams: Thank you ladies. It's good to speak with both of you.

Scotto: Okay, so let's talk about Albany. They passed a budget last night. Did they reform bail reform enough for you?

Mayor Adams: So, there's a victory with this on my People's Plan. When I went to Albany, I talked about tax rebate, earned income tax credits, money, millions of dollars back in the pockets of families, childcare which is crucial. Many aspects of the People's Plan was materialized. And although I commend them on steps they took towards dealing with public safety, something that people said was impossible for us to get done. But clearly there's more to be done. And this is only half time, there's an entire next half of session that's there, and we have to make sure we do the right things. Everything from looking at school control and governance, over a million children are going to be dealing with this uncertainty right now, and do more around public safety.

Scotto: All right. Let's also talk about the first 100 days. Got a lot of heat for the mask mandate.  When are you taking off the masks for kids under five-years-old?

Mayor Adams: Well, we have to really commend the medical team and New Yorkers. As I stated, we were going to peel this back a layer at a time, and I was very clear that if we see an uptick, when we're seeing a slight uptick, we're going to be prepared and not panic, and then we're going to make the decisions. I'm hoping within the next week the doctors are going to look at the numbers again, if we are in a stabilizing place, we're going to take the mask off. The judge allowed us the stay that we wanted. We have to get this right, and I know that. And sometimes you take the heat for doing the right thing, and I'm willing to do so to save our children and families.

Peters: Another thing that you've taken the heat on is homeless encampments. You cleared most of them out, there's 244 of them. But out of all those that you cleared, only five people took those shelter beds. Is that a success in your eyes?

Mayor Adams: Yes, it is. Let's do a real examination. Some people now that they realize they can't live in encampments on our streets. Some of the encampments had human waste, drug paraphernalia, and someone not being able to have a shower or clean clothing. This was just so undignified and this is not who we are as New Yorkers. Some have decided to go back to their previous residents. Some have taken us up on our offers to have some of the safe haven beds, if you're dealing with a mental health issue with wraparound services. And some have gone to the shelter. What we wanted to do is remove the normality that existed in the city, that it is okay to live in a tent, cardboard boxes, makeshift housing on our streets. That is not acceptable, and it is inhumane.

Peters: Well, 100 days in office comes up this Sunday. You're going to take home a report card, put it on your fridge, where you keep all your ingredients for your smoothies. What letter pops up on that report card?

Mayor Adams: An I, incomplete. There are things we have to do. We are dealing with historical problems, and you're seeing them play out across our country, with the increase in violence, the mental health issues that stemmed from COVID. But clearly we are laying the foundation to move our city in the right direction. We did it before, we're going to do it again. Everything from our anti-gun unit, our police officers have removed over a thousand guns off our streets since I have taken office. And we are going to do our job, but we do need help from Washington. We need continuous help from Albany to really lean into some of the public safety stuff that I still believe we need to do. And as well as continue to deal with some of the social service issues that we are facing.

Scotto: All right, vaccine mandates, let's talk a little bit about that because obviously some people are exempt in New York City, others are not. When are we all going to be on the same playing field?

Mayor Adams: And all of that is coming, but we should never move away from having people get vaccinated and take their booster shots. That is our secret weapon against the potent virus called COVID. We can't close down again, I cannot say this enough. We have done a great job. Over 75 percent of the people have taken both dosage, many people are taking their booster shots. We're going to lean in, advertise more, and get more to do so. But we are here because we did the right things as New Yorkers, and so those mandates played the role. It got us to where we are now, where we did not have to close down our city again. And I have to make sure we get our economy back up and operating, which I'm excited to see more people on the streets, in restaurants. Tourism is coming back. And I want to continue to move us in the right direction.

Scotto: All right, Mets or Yankees fan?

Mayor Adams: I've been in purgatory for many years as a Mets fan. But I think this is going to be the year that we'll see the Mets finally win that ring. I'm excited, I will be rooting my home team. But I'm hoping the boys of summer in time, would turn into the boys and girls of summer. It's time to do the Jackie Robinson move and bring women into baseball that are able to play the game.

Scotto: Wow.

Peters: Okay.

Scotto: Bianca is ready to suit up.

Peters: I don't think I'm going to be the first person to do it, but you know, I appreciate that.

Scotto: All right, Mayor, always good to see you. Are you a little tired? Because I mean, since day one of taking this office, you've been out there running from one shooting to another.

Mayor Adams: Well, the pain of watching family members, it tore my heart. Seeing that 12-year-old baby was shot in Queens, innocent child. Anytime people wonder why I am so dogmatic about dealing with this gun violence, they need to hear from that mother and countless numbers of mothers and dads. And I'm going to remain consistent on this. And you know what I learned? When you are doing what you love, you're not working. You are living out your true purpose and I feel this is my purpose, to make the city I love a safe place to raise healthy children and families.

Scotto: Well, we love this city too. And so we're counting on you. Thank you so much.

Mayor Adams: Thank you, take care.

Scotto: Mayor Adams, we appreciate it.

Appears live on NY1’s “Mornings on 1”

Pat Keirnan: This weekend will mark 100 days in office for Mayor Eric Adams. If you've been paying attention, he continues to be moving all about the city at all hours, morning, day and night. Mayor Adams with us now up early to reflect on the progress that he has made, the challenges ahead. Good morning, Mr. Mayor.

Mayor Adams: Good morning, Pat. Good to see you.

Keirnan: What do you think so far. Is the job, what you expected?

Mayor Adams: Yes, it is. This is a big city and you have to have a big personality and it's not a nine to five city. It's a 24 hour city. And that is why I visit my workers in the subway system at 2:00 a.m. in the morning or 4:00 a.m. in the morning to visit sanitation employees. I'm going to be with New Yorkers and show that we are going to cycle out of COVID and the economic strife that we are living through right now.

Keirnan: You have, as you said, you would make changes in policing. I suspect that more changes are on the way. We have, simultaneously to that though, seen that the crime stats are up overall. Crime is up in New York City compared to a year ago. I want to concede that a 100 days is not enough time for any big change to really take hold, but how long do you think it'll be before you get some dividends from these changes you're making?

Mayor Adams: I am a tough grader, and I am impatient. I want changes right away. We have to be safe. Every time a gun goes off, we are endangering the life of a New Yorker, like the 12-year-old baby we lost last week. And so we are going to continue to do the right thing. And Pat think about it, my police department and our police department, we have removed over a 1,000 guns off our streets in the last 90 something days and yet the guns continue to flow. So I continuously state that there are many rivers that are feeding the sea of violence and Washington must give us assistance that we need. I thank the president, but we have to stop these flow of guns. And I'm going to continue to do what I have to do to improve the quality of life in the city, including the homeless encampment that we are removing off our streets to stop the normalizing of the quality of life issues that we are facing.

Keirnan: Your Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said the other day that there is a perception among would-be criminals that there aren't consequences for crimes right now. That's something that you have pushed, you have called for changes to the bail reforms that were made. Some of that was done in an agreement in principle on the budget in Albany yesterday. Are you satisfied that those changes made are going to be enough?

Mayor Adams: There are two parts of the budget that when you look at it, number one, I went to Albany and I laid out my People's Plan, and I want to thank those lawmakers who took it seriously, because when you think about the millions of dollars that we're going to get in tax rebates through earned income tax credit, the childcare, which is crucial to everyday families, we were successful on. And other important issues, you see the Kendra's Laws that we're looking at. If these details that are emerging are true, then I commend them. But let's be clear. Many people thought it was impossible for me to get anything on public safety. I knew differently and I think that we have a lot more to do. The session is still in play. This is now time to deal with policies as we deal with everything for mayoral control, where over a million children have a level of uncertainty right now. I need to continue the progress in schools and also make sure we are making the right decisions around public safety. And I'm going to continue to partner with Albany to accomplish this.

Keirnan: There have been some images come out from a couple of notable locations with your administration's efforts, to clear encampments of homeless people, tents being put into the back of sanitation trucks, the only shelter that those people had. You have defended that saying that there has to be a longer term solution, but it's heart wrenching to see these situations. You see people in neighborhoods coming to the defense of the people who were sleeping on the streets. Is this strategy working?

Mayor: Yes, it is. And let me tell you what's heart wrenching, Pat. Heart wrenching is the inhumane condition of someone living in a tent with human waste inside, syringes, unable to take a shower, unable to have clean clothing. I'm asking all those who're taking the photos, instead of taking pictures, come out and join me. Let's talk to people together, our fellow New Yorkers who have fallen on hard times. A tent and a cardboard box is not the only place a person can go. This is a right to shelter city. No one is turned away if they need shelters. And then we're looking at our safe haven beds, where we are helping those with mental illnesses get the wraparound services they deserve. I am not going to allow the normalizing of people living on our streets that we have allowed to happen before, and I'm not going to continue to allow that to happen. It is inhumane. It is not right. And I'm asking all those who believe we can do a better job to join me in the streets, like I am in two, three in the morning, speaking to people who are homeless to tell them there's a better way to go.

Keirnan: Mayor Adams, I saw the other night you had dinner with Andrew Cuomo. What's up with that? Do you know whether he is running for governor or not?

Mayor Adams: We did not talk about him running. We did not talk about politics. I'm sitting down with all lawmakers, current and previous lawmakers from Michael Bloomberg to Mayor de Blasio. I am learning from them. Listen, I talk like I know, but I listen like I don't know. That is a favorite quote that I love to hear. It is imperative that we learn from those who have gone through these crises before, Andrew Cuomo is one of them, as well as the other former elected officials that I communicate with.

Keirnan: Mayor Adams, 100th day in office will be on Sunday. We thank you for joining us in advance of that many more hundreds to go here. Mayor Adams, good to have you with us this morning.

Mayor Adams: Thank you, take care.

Calls in live to 770 AM WABC’s “Bernie and Sid in the Morning”

Sid Rosenberg: So you may remember at the beginning of the COVID breakout, Eric Adams was the Brooklyn borough president. And he would come on with me and you Bernie quite a bit. In fact, back then, Eric Adams was on this show, I'd even go as far as saying often and admitted publicly, this was the best radio show in New York. He might not do that now, but he did that back then time and time again. But we haven't talked in quite some time, Bernie, now have we?

Bernie McGuirk: No, we have not, but we miss Eric Adams and hope he appears on the show.

Sid: Well, with that said, no better way to bring him in than that. Here he is, the current mayor-

Bernie: What?

Sid: That's right. The current mayor of New York city making his return to the Bernie and Sid Show, our old friend, Eric Adams. Eric, good morning. How are you, pal.

Bernie: Morning, Mr. Mayor.

Mayor Adams: Listen, that was the perfect song. They started out, I used to live in Brooklyn. You know what I'm saying?

Sid: Yeah, I know. I picked that song. I knew it would work. I knew it. So Eric, let's start with this before we get into the city, your 100 days in office, what's going well and what's not. It's a very simple question, Eric, back on the Bernie and Sid Show. What took you so long?

Mayor Adams: Listen, I miss you guys. And you know what? Long but not forgotten. Now, I'm back in the seat and I'm looking forward to talking to you on a regular basis.

Bernie: Okay. Well, listen. That's great. Listen, I have to say Mayor Adams. We've been extolling some of the good things that you're doing, which is bringing back broken windows, palatably, but you brought it back so congratulations on that. The anti-crime unit, reaping benefits already. That's a great thing. Dismantling these homeless camps. It's only common sense. Good for the homeless, good for the citizens of New York. But on other issues as well, of course, Mayor Adams, I must say the statistics show that crime is up 45 percent since took over and 70 percent on the subways. And people are starting to wonder if we made the right choice over Curtis Siwa because well, look, the headline from Fox News, "Goodwill from Mayor Eric Adams fading as New Yorkers fear woke empty suit." And of course they cite the de Blasio vaccine mandate for toddlers, for unvaccinated city workers. And they say that you were elected to stop the kind of ham fisted de Blasio idiocy that you were elected to stop. And you're not doing that. How do you respond to that?

Mayor Adams: Well, first let's peel back because you threw a lot in one sentence and all the reporters listen to your show and we don't need headlines based on one comments. They need to be based on my comments. I am not returning to broken windows. I am having a city where we ensure we have the quality of life that we deserve. And we have witnessed the normalization of just a failure, quality of life. Everything from people stealing in the stores not being responded to theft of services. That is not the city I'm going to live in and we're not going backwards at all. Second, I don't have an anti-crime unit. I have an anti-gun unit. These officers with modified uniform clothing, the NYPD has removed over 1,000 guns off the street in the last 90 days. My anti-gun unit has removed close to 30 guns, over 100 and something arrests. They're doing their job and they're doing a great job.

Mayor Adams: The problems we're facing, Bernie and Sid, are generations in the making. Clear on that. This is a corporation, New York City Corporation. And anyone that has ever taken over a corporation knows you have to change the culture of that corporation. And that's what I'm doing. We're laying the foundation that's needed to deal with everything from homelessness, dismantling of the encampments, putting people in humane care instead of the inhumane care that we allow to exist in this city. And so right now, New Yorkers have opinions. And I don't know the New Yorkers you're listening to, but when I see people in the street, I'm getting the thumbs up. I see them all throughout the day, 3:00, 4:00, 5:00 in the morning. From early day to late at night, doing the things that's best for New Yorkers. And so this is only the first inning brothers. We've got a nine inning game. And trust me at the end of the nine inning, we will win.

Sid: All right, listen, we want to hear that. Trust me, we want New York to excel and we want you to do well. Again, we were friends not that long ago. And Bernie did just point out a bunch of things, Eric, that you have done well since taking over, but I've got to take you to task on something else. Just a couple of days ago, you are inviting gay and lesbians to come back to New York. First of all, why would they come back? The weather's better there, they don't pay state taxes. Look, give me a break, but on a serious note, that bill never states the word gay. You know this, Eric. It never states the word gay. It's not an anti-gay bill. All it is is a parenting bill. I know for me, I've got two kids. I don't want Gabe or Abel learning about sex from their teachers in the third grade. So where I'm angry with you is, I thought the way you mischaracterize that bill is just a democrat talking point and you smarter than that.

Mayor Adams: Well, first let me tell you the whole purpose of it. The posturing that took place in the governor, they instituted a bill where you didn't teach sex ed to children at that age. There was no reason to institute a bill that there was no need for, because you weren't teaching sex to children at that age. And what I don't do, I do not allow or ever stand for discriminatory language or posturing of any group. Because when you start with gay today, you do Italians tomorrow, Irish the next day, African-American, Jewish. We're seeing an increase in antisemitism, anti-Asian violence, anti-LGBTQ+. We're seeing what's happening in Texas around those who are part of the trans community. Words start the hate. And I am not going to sit back and allow that to happen. And one could agree or disagree. I don't go by democratic talking points. Remember, many in the democratic party don't talk about funding police. They talk about defunding police.

Bernie: Sure.

Mayor Adams: So I don't have talking points from particular groups. I have what's right for New Yorkers and Americans.

[Crosstalk]

Bernie: But Eric, when you say... Mayor Adams, when you say characterize it as “don't say gay”—but that's a democrat talking point. And you said, "Come to New York where you can say gay." That law, it's called a parental rights act. That law does not say anything about not saying gay. It's all about teaching, reading, writing, and arithmetic. Instead of grooming kids into this sexualization, teaching them about transgenders and gayness, let the kids have their innocence. That's what it's all about. And you did mischaracterize. You did say that, "Come to New York where you can say gay," that's a mischaracterization. And that's what the woke democrats have been saying for the past couple of weeks.

Mayor Adams: Well, some of us have never gone to sleep, so I'm not a woke democrat. I'm a consistent person that speaks on behalf of the people in the city. I'm a pragmatic democrat with a clear moderate view of doing things in a progressive way. But in my definition of progressive, it's progress. Moving things forward. And one thing I know you and I both would agree on, man, we've got a COVID issue, we have an economy issue, we have a violent issue. We have so many issues. We should not be spending all of our air time talking about my belief that that bill was wrong.

Bernie: Okay.

Mayor Adams: We need to get our city back up and operating. You know how many people about to go through evictions right now? I think we really insult New Yorkers when we spend all of our time talking on these high profile issues and look at the talking points of any party. I want the talking points of New Yorkers and they're saying, "Eric, make us safe. Allow for us to educate our children and get affordable housing to turn our economy around." That's who I am. And that's what I'm going to continue to do.

Sid: Right. Fair enough. We don't agree on COVID by the way. Me and Bernie think it was over a long time ago. And for example, we weren't thrilled when you allowed Kyrie Irving to play home games in Brooklyn, but we laid off a bunch of workers before that. We weren't thrilled with that either, but here's why I'll give you more credit. You are not one of those old guys in the respect of you don't sleep. The last guy who was mayor woke up 11 o'clock in the morning, was half baked and did nothing all day long. To your credit, I'll give you some credit here. You are a hard worker. You're out there all day long, sometimes early in the morning, sometimes late at night. So there, in that respect, just the work ethic compared to de Blasio, you've got him beat by about 50 miles.

Mayor Adams: Well, I've always had to work hard. A young man growing up dyslexic, I had to work hard to graduate from college. I worked hard being a dishwasher. I worked hard going to school at night. I worked hard studying to become a sergeant, a lieutenant and the captain. So working hard is part of my DNA, because I woke up every day as a child, seeing a mother that worked hard to feed six children. And my story is a story of everyday New Yorkers. We work hard in the city and we are going to continue to do so. No one is going to outwork me in turning the city around, and that's what New Yorkers expect from me.

Bernie: Well, they also expect fairness, Mayor Adams, on the Bernie and Sid show. For example, the vaccine mandate that... The policy that you employ right now, you put jocks, you put jocks high payed jocks and entertainers as well over kids and cops. I mean that reeks of elitism and unfairness. And you know it does. You're sick of talking about it, but they're sick of being unemployed because of it. And the kids, the tots. Masks on tots, they move the masks. The masks are ineffective and the tots are not vulnerable. You know that, Mayor Adams, what do you say to that?

Mayor Adams: Well, first of all, one thing I like about this show, why I said it was a good show is because even when I disagree with you, historically, you lean into facts. Let's be factual here. The last in the ending round those who decided not to take the vaccine based on city rules that were actually challenged in court. And the judges said the city was in the right. No cops were fired. Zero, zero. We need to be clear on that. They understood that many of us had to lean into what we needed to keep our city open. We also had those who had religious exemption or medical exemption. There was a pathway not to take it as a right of employment. The courts rule, the city had the authorization to do so. This was put in place before my administration. But even if it wasn't, I would've done it because that is why our city's open right now because of those mandates.

Mayor Adams: We want to remove the mask from our babies under five-years-old, we were going to announce it on Monday, but I was clear when I said this. If we get an uptick in this new variant, we're going to look at it to see if it stabilizes, and then we will remove the masks for less than five-years-olds like we did the other roll back. Those with vaccine mandates in restaurants, face wearing school children, so we have been consistent. Listen, brothers, I can't have this city shut down again. It can't happen.

Sid: Right.

Mayor Adams: We spent $11 trillion on COVID. We don't have another $11 trillion to spend. I've got to be smart. And I'm going to take some heat throughout the time that I'm going to do this. But New York has elected me to make tough choices and stand up for those choices.

Sid: Kathy Hochul finally came around just a little yesterday, Mayor Adams, when she... At least she's going to give the judges now some discretion. Clearly she's filling the heat for the '22 election and knows that people have had enough in this city, in this state with the crime and the people that she surrounds herself with, these idiots Paul Heastie and Andrea Stewart-Cousins. And these folks who claim that bail reform has nothing to do with the crime, it's insulting to people like me and Bernie, I've got to be honest with you. Now you went up there and they kind of slammed the door in your face. And you came back with your tail between your legs to New York City and couldn't do much about it. And our contention was, hey, Eric, go out there and start naming names. Start shaming people. Start yelling. If you want to come combat crime in this city, bail reform is part of the problem. You can't just go to Albany, have the door shut in your face and come back and not really say much. What do you think about that issue?

Mayor Adams: Well, first of all, you guys have known me for a long, long time and you know there are no tails that go between my legs. I have never, never back down from a good fight. That is who I am, and that is who I'm always going to be. And although everyone stated nothing would be done, Eric was beat up in Albany, all the headlines say it. So let's be honest. Many people thought the need would never be moved. We see what's happening right now. If the details that are emergent or if they are correct, then it's clear those things that I pointed out are being addressed in Albany right now as I stated.

Mayor Adams: Now, that is not to say we don't have, have more to do because we do have more to do. We have to do everything from having accountabilities in our schools, mayoral control. We have to make sure that we push through more public safety items and issues. And let's be clear. I have some real victories in Albany. My People's Plan, earn income tax credit. We're going to get millions of dollars coming back to taxpayers. We're putting money into childcare, which is crucial. So we are walking away with Ws because I went up to Albany and allowed my tail to stay straight up instead of falling down and stated that I'm going to fight for New Yorkers like I have fought for New Yorkers throughout my entire career in public service.

[Crosstalk]

Bernie: No cash bail law, people have blood on their hands and we wanted to hear more passion and anger from you, but you've got to bounce Eric Adams. Well, in that case, thanks for appearing on the Bernie and Sid Show.

Mayor Adams: Thank you.

Bernie: And come back.

Sid: Please.

Bernie: Yeah, come back more often, Eric. You did a good job here today.

Eric Adams: All right guys, take care.

Bernie: All right, take care. There he is. The mayor of New York City, Eric Adams. He's got a busy schedule today, again talking about his first 100 days in office. And I thought we brought up all the pertinent points, all the points of course, that New Yorkers are not happy about. Everything from bail reform, to crime, to the way he treats athletes and…
Calls in Live to WCBS 880 AM

Wayne Cabot: 8:22, we got the mayor on the line, 100 days in office for Mayor Eric Adams.

Paul Murnane: And mayor, we appreciate your times, 100 days in. How would you rate how you're doing so far on things?

Mayor Adams: Well, I'm a tough grader, always. I have always been tough on myself and will continue to be. I think that we need an I, in progress. We are dealing with some historical and institutional and generational problems that we're going to turn around. And as well as COVID. COVID has devastated our economy, our mental health, has devastated our healthcare system, but we're up for the challenge and no one is going to work harder for this city than Eric Adams.

Cabot: So, Mr. Mayor, the one thing that you really were able to get New Yorkers behind you about was trying to tackle crime. You've been doing that with the special police units that have been out there. I know that they are wearing uniforms. Based on the results so far do you want to stick with that? Would it be worthwhile considering having plain clothes cops in the mix?

Mayor Adams: No, they doing their job. Listen, we have removed—the NYPD in total have removed over 1,000 guns off the street. Think about that for a moment. That's almost 10 guns a day. Over 10 guns a day they've removed off the streets of New York. And we have a constant flow. That's why I state there are many rivers that feed the sea of violence and the federal government must dam one of those rivers by really stopping the flow of guns in the cities across America.

Mayor Adams: We're seeing this violence all over America, but here in New York that, my anti-gun unit, they removed over 30 guns off the street, over 100 and something arrests just in the few weeks that were put in place because of the modified police uniform. They are in unmarked cars. And we're zeroing in on those who are trigger pullers. It's really commendable what our detectives are doing in closing these cases. 61-year-old woman was shot a few days ago. I just received an announcement that we made an apprehension on that. We are taking bad guys off the street, but we can't have a revolving door that places them back on the street.

Murnane: We wanted to ask you, Mr. Mayor, we heard when they were announcing the March numbers from the NYPD, that it's down to a handful of neighborhoods that they would need to target. That's where a lot of the problems are happening. Does that not raise the specter that neighborhoods maybe of color are being targeted and the NYPD has to be very careful and not going overboard on this?

Mayor Adams: Perfect balance. Perfect question that you asked. And the goal is to not make the mistakes of the past, those mistakes that I advocated against in the past, and to do it right. And what does that look like? Instead of profiling, it's precision policing and precision resources. Those neighborhoods that we have mentioned over and over again, if you were to overlay the other problems in those neighborhoods, you'll see educational problems, lack of resources, lack of employment, mental health issues. There's a constant issue in these neighborhoods that if we don't have a holistic approach, we're just really putting our finger in the crack in the dam that's eventually going to overflow. And that is why we're doing a universal, well-rounded approach to these problems to stop the feeders of crime, and then go after those immediate people who are committing the crime in the first place.

Cabot: And the quality of life issues I know is something you've been after as well and that brings in the homelessness problem. You've launched an initiative to clear out encampments throughout the city. Homeless advocates say that in some cases belongings are being tossed and destroyed. Is that supposed to be happening?

Mayor Adams: No and that is not happening. What I find fascinating is that people normalize individuals living on our streets in tents and cardboard boxes. Some of these locations that we have cleaned up had human waste inside, drug paraphernalia, not access to showers, to change of clothing. This is inhumane. And so I want to partner with my homeless advocates. I'm in the streets, 3:00, 4:00 AM in the morning, talking to homeless residents, learning what they need, letting them know there's a turnaround and the shelters that we have. This is a right to shelter city. There are no individuals who are looking for shelters or a place to sleep in a dignified way will be turnt away. And so I'm not going to act like it's not wrong to have people living in these conditions. And I'm asking all New Yorkers to join me, including those homeless advocates, walk the streets with me, let's get people the care that they need so that they're not harmful to themselves and others.

Murnane: 3:00, 4:00 in the morning, you're out in the streets talking to the homeless individuals in New York City. Are you finding locations where they're gathering that maybe the city needs to take a look at in terms of cleaning up our city streets?

Mayor Adams: Yes. And we have instituted an amazing operation, a coordination with our homeless service team, our mental health professionals, our law enforcement, and Department of Sanitation. And every day my police officers go out, they canvas their sectors to see where our homeless people congregated and where we have encampments so we can immediately communicate that to our homeless outreach professionals and give them the services they need. You're seeing coordination at its best. And we're not just doing a one shot where we clean up the encampments and then allow it to return. No, this is a constant inspection and a constant movement towards coordinating of how we utilize the manpower and women power properly. And I am really impressed and thankful for the coordination of all of these agencies so we can finally deal with the street homeless issue and move people into permanent housing.

Cabot: Mayor Adams, one last thing before you go. I know you've been pushing for a long time to reform bail reform, and there's now a deal in Albany to do exactly that, give judges more discretion. What's your reaction?

Mayor Adams: Well, I commend the lawmakers on looking at this issue, something that many people thought was not possible when I went up to Albany and continue to push forward, but let's be clear. We have more to do. This budget, if what's emerging, if it's true, this is a real, real win for my people's plan. Getting tax rebates to New Yorkers, millions of dollars, childcare funding, all of these are important issues. But specifically with the issues around crime, there are more we must do. I'm going to continue to partner with the Governor and the law makers up there that support this important initiative. We must go after these important issues as we deal with public safety in our city, because you hear me say it over and over again, public safety is a prerequisite to prosperity. If we're not safe, we're not going to prosper as a city, but there's much more that I need from Albany, including mayoral control. The session ends in June. We need to give certainty to over a million children and their families that we have the right accountability that we're looking for.

Murnane: Mayor Eric Adams, always great to have a few of your precious minutes. We appreciate your time so much, sir.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Take care.

Appears on 1010 WINS

Bridget Quinn: And we start on this busy Friday morning on Newsline with a one-on-one with his honor, Mayor Adams. Sunday, marking 100 days since he took office. We started our conversation with the homeless controversy, with some activists saying arresting people and taking homeless people's belongings is not the way to help them. We ask Mayor Adams might you change your tactics?

Mayor Adams: No. I am not open to continually allow people to live in an inhumane environment. Brigitte, when you looked at some of those tents inside, human waste, drug paraphernalia, needles, no access to showers, change of clothing. This is unacceptable, and I am really reaching out to my homeless advocates and say, please come and join me to convince our fellow New Yorkers that living in a tent, living in a cardboard box, is inhumane and we have better conditions that they can live in, and that is why, where I need my homeless advocates. We can do this together.

Quinn: And Mayor Adams, I was really struck by this. You said that you've gone out in the middle of the night and visited with homeless people and talked with them. Can you give us an example of a visit and a location?

Mayor Adams: Yes. 14th Street in Manhattan, in the subway system. A gentleman was living all the way at the far end of the track. I sat down with him, talked with him, found out that he was actually a person who lost his job. He was afraid of the shelters, and I showed him one of our brochures and said, this is what the shelters look like now, and again, in Manhattan, down in the Bowery area, a young lady was there walking the streets. She was living in a cardboard box. I engaged in a conversation with her and told her, and she was surprised. She says, "I can't believe the mayor is here speaking with me."

Mayor Adams: This was 4:00 AM in the morning, and you know what Brigitte? I don't see others who are stating that people should be able to live in the street. I don't see them out there doing this. I know we have to get on the ground to resolve this problem and give those with mental health illnesses the wraparound services they deserve. These are our fellow New Yorkers. I'm not going to continue to walk by and ignore the fact that they should not be living in this environment.

Quinn: Mayor Adams, let's talk about crime, the anti-crime units making their debut last month. When you were asked how the city would measure the success of the new teams, you said, "When we stop seeing the shootings in the city." Now this week, as I'm sure you well know, the shootings, the stats from the NYPD said shootings were up again by more than 16 percent. When, Mr. Mayor, might we turn a corner in public safety, as you have said?

Mayor Adams: I grade myself hard, in a very harsh way, because I'm hard on myself because this job calls for us to get results, and so I think we have an eye in progress. Not incomplete, but in progress. These are generational problems that are finally materializing across our country, not only in New York. You're seeing the over proliferation of guns, the failure of the educational system, the impact of COVID and particularly on mental health. This is impacting our nation, and New York is going to show how we can turn it around. What does that look like? NYPD has removed over 1,000 guns off the streets within the last 90 something days. Of my anti-gun unit, in the first few weeks out, they removed over, close to 30 guns, and made over 100 arrests.

Mayor Adams: So it's about stop the normalization of the quality of life in crime in the city, and so we need help from Albany and Washington, D.C. I commend the lawmakers in some of the decisions that they've made in public safety, which many people thought it was not possible to get done, but we have more to do. There's more to do to make sure we make our city safe, as well as dealing with the mayoral control issues that we believe is important.

Quinn: You mentioned Albany. Governor Hochul has included some reform to bail reform in her budget. Does it go far enough?

Mayor Adams: There's more to do, and remember, several weeks ago when I went to Albany people thought it was impossible, and I knew New Yorkers sent me with a mission to talk with state lawmakers because New Yorkers knew we had to deal with some of the criminal justice reform, not to go backwards to the over abuse of criminal justice, but also not to go backwards to 2,000 homicides a year in our city. So we have more to do in the next couple of months. I'm hoping lawmakers will look at this issue as well as the important issues that's facing New Yorkers. Now in the bail, if the items that are emerging are true, there's also a real victory for New York City. My People’s Plan talked about childcare dollars, talked about earned income tax credit, tax rebate for citizens. So we do have some wins there. But as I commend the lawmakers on public safety, I want to be clear that there's more to be done because New Yorkers must be saved.

Quinn: Have you pressed Governor Hochul one-on-one?

Mayor Adams: Well, I want to thank the governor for being a partner and understanding of—that we must have a safe city. I say this over and over again. The prerequisite to our prosperity is public safety and justice. I think the governor is a partner of that and I'm going to continue to partner with her, and those lawmakers that understand how important this issue is to the city.

Quinn: About COVID, the mandate to keep kids five and under in masks, is there any chance, Mr. Mayor, that you might drop that restriction anytime soon?

Mayor Adams: Yes.

Quinn: Or do you want to wait until that age group can get the vaccine?

Mayor Adams: No, I want to drop it. I am more urgent, I feel more urgent about dropping that mandate more than others. Trust me when I tell you, I want to see the faces of our children. But as I stated, I must move with the science and my healthcare team that I speak with every morning. We were going to announce it on the Monday that passed. But the—as you know, this new variant is increasing a little. We believe it's going to stabilize and we will be able to remove the mask for those under five. This is important for me to do, but I must do the right thing so that we don't go backwards in our city. We've done an amazing job. I want to commend New Yorkers who have taken the vaccine, booster shots, social distancing, wearing a mask. This is how we beat COVID. We can't go backwards. We're seeing tourism return. Our cities, they're starting to open our restaurants and office spaces are increases, and I'm excited that we're going to do the right thing. This is a painful moment, but we will cycle out of this and be prepared and not panic.

Quinn: So do you have a timeline then on when the restriction for the little kids might be dropped?

Mayor Adams: Yeah. I'm totally at the mercy of my health team. They stated that we continue to look at the numbers. Once they are comfortable and they would give me the orders, I'm chomping at the bit to get it done. I'm hoping that we could do it within a week or so, but it's really dependent on how this new variant responds.

Quinn: And I know you were confronted by some parents at a Broadway show, and your new health commissioner, there was some reporting that he'd been confronted by people. What do you make of that reaction?

Mayor Adams: Well, what's interesting, remember, I'm an ex-cop. I'm confronted all the time. I've been booed. I've been yelled at. I've had things thrown at me. I think it's all part of New York. People are expressing their emotions. As long as they do it in a peaceful, respectful way, we should be prepared to do that. Every day, as I ride the trains and walk the streets, New Yorkers are extremely opinionated and they share their emotions sometimes, and I understand that because these are emotional times. I don't take it personal. If someone is outside of Broadway theater, or a restaurant, or see me on the train and they give me their opinion, overwhelmingly, you know what I receive? I receive a thumbs up. That's what I receive the majority of times on the street. People know my passion and love for New York City and if every once in a while someone wants to call me a name because they disagree with me, I have, that's part of the job, and I have a thick skin because this is where New Yorkers expect their mayor to have a thick skin.

Quinn: So you've been our mayor 100 days on Sunday. What has surprised you most about the job?

Mayor Adams: How much New Yorkers love their city and how much I love New York. I think we are resilient and you're watching the greatest comeback. When you look at a few years ago, we were shut down. There was a level of uncertainty. A question mark lingered over the potentiality of New York recovering. That question mark is now straightened to an exclamation point, that we are going to recover and the results and evidence of that we see everyday, and I just love the resiliency of New Yorkers.

Quinn: Mayor Adams with us on Newsline.

Calls in live to Caribbean Power Jam’s “The Reset Talk Show”

Jr Giddings: Audience, tell a friend to tell a friend to jump on right now. We have Mayor Adams joining us. Once again, the most powerful mayor in the world is gracing our platform this morning. Good morning, Mayor Adams. And how are you?

Mayor Adams: Hi, well brother. Good to see you know. Headed to an event, but I wanted to make sure I hopped on and greeted your amazing listenership. And I got on right on time to hear from the pastor of pastors, given his pearls of wisdom.

Giddings: Mayor Adams, I know you've been in office over 100 days already and so much is happening. But what's premium right now is gun violence in our city. Could you tell our audience about your plan to combat gun violence?

Mayor Adams: Well listen, unprecedented approach that focuses on both intervention and prevention. Prevention, those are the long term things that we have witnessed throughout the years that feed gun violence. 30 percent of our inmates in our prisons are predicted to be dyslexic. So we're looking at dyslexic screening. 48 percent of the inmates at Rikers Island have mental health issues or learning disabilities. We want to zero in on that. So we want to stop the feeders, foster care children, support jobs. Summertime crimes are high in our community. We're going to have 100,000 summer youth jobs, employment jobs for our young people. That's the feeder, those are the prevention.

Mayor Adams: But then what people don't like talking about is the intervention. What we must do right now. That's why I put in place an anti-gun unit, zeroing in on the guns. Do you know, brother Jr, we removed over 1000 guns off the street in the last 90 something days. Those are the guns that continue to flow in our city from the northern state. Washington must step in and stop the over proliferation of guns in cities like New York, Atlanta, Chicago, et cetera. This is a national problem of gun violence we're talking about with historical issues.

Mayor Adams: Second, we're going to zero in on these quality of life issues. We're not going back to the situation that we saw in the past with this so-called broken window, but we are going back to not allowing our quality of life to be eroded in our community. That's dice games. That is open use of drugs and selling them on our street corners. Just a normal disruption that communities of color have been experiencing for so long, that we're going to zero in, not be heavy handed, but send the right message that we are not going to live in the state of violence and disorder.

Mayor Adams: I will ask everyone to come out to the funeral of this young 12-year-old child that was shot and killed in Brooklyn. It's just a signal how we are losing far too many of our children to violence, and I'm not going to surrender our streets to violence.

Giddings: It's interesting enough that you said that, Mayor Adams, because Pastor Stracker is very, very instrumental with the family, and he's here. I know you have a heart out. Pastor Stracker, could you weigh in on that situation?

Pastor Louis Straker, Jr.: Well, it's very heart wrenching, Jr. That we have situations where young people can't even just sit with their families as we normally do, and eat, and just fellowship, and not have to worry. Parents do not have to have their children just going out there and worried if they would come home. This is so irregular that it not only impacts the immediate family. Our entire city has now been traumatized. I'm turning around in our community, and I'm hearing of so many people that are connected to this 12-year-old. I have members in my church, young people who are hurting because they were in class with him. We have other fellow pastors that have members that are connected to this little boy.

Pastor Straker: When you look around, we are a traumatized city because of gun violence. So there are the hidden effects of gun violence, where it goes beyond just the shooting and the shooter. You have families, you have ambulance people that continue to see these things over and over, doctors, police officers. We are a traumatized community, and something has to be done. And I'm really grateful for our mayor who is tackling this head on. It has not been easy since he walked into this office. You talk about 100 days of really terror on our city, but I'm grateful and I'm thankful that he's the man at the helm, because I believe if anybody can tackle this gun violence, it will be Mayor Adams.

Mayor Adams: And Pastor, I think that what you are saying is the rippling effects of gun violence, people need to understand that. Sometimes they look at when that bullet strikes an innocent person, it does not stop. The emotional pathway continues throughout the entire community. Sitting down with the family, hearing of the beautiful young child who was in the car, she was shot six times. Six times. It's amazing that she survived. The seven-year-old baby sitting in the back, watching this happen. When I went to the crime scene that day, I was just torn up by violence. A total disregard for the innocent family that was there. And that's why we must have a level of urgency, but not recklessness. Because we don't want to go back to the days with the over aggressive policing, but we also don't want to go back to the days of having 2,000 homicides a year, mostly black and brown, in our community.

Giddings: Mayor Adams, you know why we are grateful, and I want to thank you this morning because our community, we are so separated from everything. And to have your voice here and all of these people listening, they believe. And this is where it is going to come. It's going to come from the grassroots platform, like this platform with Pastor Stracker, with yourself. So I want to thank you for always taking time to come to The Reset talk show. I know you have to jump off, but there's another trending topic, which is the vaccine mandate that was lifted for athletes and performers. But there's a big pushback from the UFT, the police, the sanitation workers. Could you give us your rationale on that?

Mayor Adams: Yeah. And we want to be factual in this conversation and not allow the rumor mill to take control. First, what we did was level the playing field for performance. People look at Kyrie Irving, this is not about Kyrie Irving. In December and early January, a group of performers, poets, musicians, and local performers stated that Eric, as the mayor-elect and as the mayor, they said, "This is an unfair rule that was put in place." What it said, if you lived in New York City and you were a performer, a performance artist, low-wage performer, et cetera, and if you lived in New York City, you must be vaccinated to perform. But if you live outside New York City, you don't have to be vaccinated to perform. That was an unfair rule. They asked me to change it in December and January. I said, "I can't do that now because the COVID cases are too high. Give me the opportunity for them to level off." When it did, I returned back to it with a real plan to take away the vaccine mandates in restaurants, taking masks off our children in school, and lifting for performers in the city. I equaled the playing field for New York City performers.

Mayor Adams: Now, those who are civil servant workers and others, they went to court, sued the previous administration on the mandate. The judge ruled that the mandate can be a condition of employment. This has already been tried in court. This is not Eric Adams rule. This was already in place. And we have over 300,000 city employees. They complied. They said that, "Our city's in a terrible place, we must step up and do what is right." They did that. And because of that, we are a safer city because of that. The second wave of firefighters and police officers, that second wave, there was not one firefighter or police officer who lost their job. They knew they'd had to comply with the law and they followed suit and did so. And they administered the small number of teachers. I think it was seven or 10 teachers that were removed and decided to leave the system instead of taking vaccines. That was their determination. But the overwhelming number of city employees complied, and because of that, we're able to push back on COVID and cycle in the right direction.

Giddings: Thank you for that, Mayor Adams. Last but not least, tell us about your plan to help to vaccinate New Yorkers that aren't vaccinated.

Mayor Adams: The number one help I'm going to do for them, is to make the vaccine available. People must get vaccinated, brother. That's the bottom line. We would not be here ... When you look at the numbers, Jr, the highest level of deaths, the higher level of hospitalizations, are those who are not vaccinated. And so if you have a loved one that's not vaccinated, you need to encourage them to do so to protect their families and loved ones. Now people say, "Well, I'm vaccinated and I got COVID." Yes, but you're not being hospitalized, and you're less likely to die from COVID. So the best help I can do is to continue to make the vaccines free, available, and encourage people to do so.

Mayor Adams: Historically, a high number of COVID cases and the lack of vaccine was in Black and brown communities. I just looked at data today that showed we turned the tide on that because of the on ground support. And so my help to New Yorkers is to say get vaccinated. I did it. I don't even like needles, but the reality was for my family and for the city I did what was right.

Giddings: Nicole, quickly say good morning to the mayor because he has to-

Mayor Adams: Brother, I got to hop off, man. I'll be on it again, man. I look forward to getting on again, but thank you for allowing me to come on. As you know, I'm always available for you. Okay?

Giddings: Okay. Last but not least, we need some of those campaigns for this vaccination campaign that you're going to run.

Mayor Adams: You're preaching to the choir. I had a major meeting yesterday and we talked about those campaigns prior to this administration, they spent over 200 something million dollars in advertisement. I said, "This money needs to go down to our local advertisement." So we are right with you, brother. I'm not the choir. I wrote the song. Okay. Love you guys. Take care.

Calls in live to WNYC’s "The Brian Lehrer Show"

Brian Lehrer: And with us now, as he approaches a 100 days in office on Sunday, Mayor Eric Adams, who I'm told is in the car on the way to opening day at Yankee Stadium. Hi, Mr. Mayor? Welcome back to WNYC.

Mayor Adams: Hey, how are you? I sort of just heard the tail end of the conversation. First, we are in a state of where we don't lean into facts and we lean into the conclusion. I'm not protested throughout the city. Eight, nine people show up and I'm used to being yelled at, I'm used to being spit at, I'm used to being called names. I was a cop for 22 years for God’s sake. I mean, so I am as thick skin as you could be.

Mayor Adams: I know people are dealing with the stress of COVID. I got it. I know people are afraid of losing their homes, their job, they want masks off children. Those are the issues we're facing. This is a job I signed up for and I'm ready to make the tough decisions and take the criticism that comes with it. We will protect New Yorkers, and that's not always enjoyable. And you know what, I say all the time, we have 8.8 million New Yorkers, 30 million opinions, the same body of people who say they want something one way, go around the corner, you're going to get another group saying again in a different way.

Lehrer: And so did we get the fact right at least, on what you said on another station earlier about that the mask mandate for the toddlers might be lifted in a week or so, but it did depends on the new Omicron?

Mayor Adams: Yes, the new Omicron. Remember, we made a plan months ago based on what we get in a series of metrics. Hospitalizations, deaths, increasing cases. The medical team came together and they said, "Once we get to these different levels, we will start peeling back some of the restrictions." We wanted to peel back on Monday for a mask on two to four-years-old. I want them off, I'm one of the biggest advocates on my morning calls. But my doctors are saying, "Eric, here's how we have to move forward." And remember, this is how we got here, Brian. The reason we are opening and functioning as a city is because we did things in a meticulous way. And I'm not going to be reckless with the economy and the safety and the health of the children and families in this city.

Lehrer: Now, do I have it right that you're on your way to opening day in the Bronx right now?

Mayor Adams: Yes, I'm just leaving the series of events. Then I'm going to head to Albany to continue to push for the reforms that we need throughout the next two days. And then I'm head off to Washington D.C. to deal with this crime that we are doing. And so no one is going to work harder for New Yorkers like I am going to work for New Yorkers. That's what they expect from me, and I'm going to live up to that expectation.

Lehrer: I know as a Queens boy, that you're a Mets fan. Will you be rooting for the Red Sox today?

Mayor Adams: No, I'm a constant Mets fan. I still have memories of being with my family in 1969 when they won the World Series. I'll continue to be rooting for the New York Mets.

Lehrer: No, but I mean, when you're at Yankee Stadium today, they're playing the Red Sox. So you can root for the Yankees too.

Mayor Adams: I want a Subway Series. Let's keep the money right in New York. A championship team brings millions of dollars in revenue, it hires the restaurant workers and everyone that feeds off of the economy from tourism. So we want the Yankees and Mets in the World Series.

Lehrer: There you go. I was just playing with you. But on a kind of serious note and back to the vaccine mandates, you lifted the vaccine mandate for the New York athletes so it's a level playing field with the visiting teams. Did you consider doing what Canada does and not letting the visiting players in if they're unvaccinated? That’d be another way to level the playing field without giving the athletes special treatment over other workers.

Mayor Adams: Yeah. And think about this for a moment. People look at the athletes and they say, "These million dollar guys." Now, what they miss is the performers. In January and late December, a group of performers, poets, guitar players, saxophonists, came to me and they stated that, "Eric, we pay taxes in New York. And because we live in New York, we were penalized by a rule." That I said back when I was mayor-elect that the rule was unfair. And I told them I could not lift it right now because the numbers were too high. We have to stabilize the last variant. We did so, then part of our rollout plan included leveling the playing field for those low wage performance that is often being ignored in this entire conversation of equaling the playing field. So I did not want to do what Canada did because I want people to come here, feed into our tourism industry, multi-billion dollar industry that is continually to be one of the most important parts of handling what we are doing at our economy back up and operating.

Lehrer: So Sunday is day 100. I saw you say this morning on TV that you talk like you know, but you listen like you don't know, which I think is a very emotionally intelligent way to approach life. So let me ask you, what have you learned in these 98 days that is surprising you as you listen to New Yorkers?

Mayor Adams: Just the wisdom, the commitment, the great ideas of—that are out there in our city. We just did an amazing [inaudible] one of the largest surveys in history. We partnered with a nonprofit and we listened to New Yorkers on the ground in their communities and asked them what they want. And I am just really blown away how everyday New Yorkers just have great ideas on how to fix the common problems in their communities.

Mayor Adams: And there's not a one size fits all. What is needed in Bensonhurst is different from Brownsville, but there's some common denominators. Public safety, mental health, affordable housing, continue to resonate throughout the entire city. And so we are going to lean into those issues as we recover as the city. But I am just really pleased at the energy of New York and the thumbs up sign that they're giving me. Listen, they know it's been a 100 days, I have to turn the city around, but I think they appreciate my dedication and commitment from sun up to sun down and meeting the sun again in the morning to get this job done.

Lehrer: One of the things in the news of course is that you've been shutting down encampments with homeless people. And at one of them, city worker spent about seven hours trying to clear out an encampment in the East Village, according to our reporting, where a group of homeless people were refusing to leave. I want to play you a 30 second clip of one of those people with an outreach worker on what the person wants if you're going to kick them out of where they feel safe. Listen.

[Audio recording plays]

Lehrer: So Mr. Mayor, I hope you are able to hear that well enough down the line. But if so, what do you say to that New Yorker who doesn't think you're presenting her with viable housing options if you're going to close the encampment?

Mayor Adams: I'm saying to that New Yorker and other New Yorkers, it's about dignity. When I looked at some of those encampment sites, some of them, I visited 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 in the morning, looked inside, talked to people who were homeless. I saw people living in human waste, drug paraphernalia, no showers, no clean clothing, living like that. That is not dignified, that is not acceptable. Other people may ignore it and act like they don't see it. I'm not going to do that.

Mayor Adams: You have the legal right, according to law to sleep on the streets, you don't have the legal right to build encampments on the street. That's not acceptable and I'm not going to continue to ignore that in our city. We're giving people options. I visit our shelters unannounced 2:00, 3:00 in the morning, walk in, and I want to see the quality of product that we are producing. And clearly we have clean, safe sites for New Yorkers who are looking for a place as we transition into permanent housing.

Mayor Adams: And I agree with her, we have to build more affordable housing. We have to give people the services that they need, that they can live independently. We have to deal with those who are dealing with mental health issues. And that's why we have to save haven beds. This is a right to shelter city, anyone that wants a bed will have a bed, but we are not going to continue to ignore the undignified way people are sleeping on the streets in these shanty towns and tents and makeshift cardboard boxes. That's not acceptable to me.

Lehrer: This is a state budget question too I think, with the new budget outline out last night, you've been promoting the safe haven beds with wraparound mental health services, presumably a lot safer and with a lot more services than the ordinary shelters that people don't seem to want to go to. Did the state budget do anything significant in your opinion, to scale up safe havens and other kinds of actual housing with supportive services?

Mayor Adams: Well, there's a number of things when we deal with, as the woman stated, she doesn't have mental health issues. She made a conscious decision that she wanted to live on the street because she wanted housing. So we know that that is why we are calling for additional funding so that we can open up the opportunities to build more affordable units and we need help from the state to do so. But we also need to deal with the number of people who are dealing with mental health issues that can't take care of themselves. That's why we need the psychiatric beds reopened. We need a stronger Kendra's Law so that we can identify those who are dealing with real issues.

Mayor Adams: But also look at the Ws I got out of this budget in Albany. We were able to get something that I pushed for. Money back into taxpayers pockets through earned income tax credit, the childcare dollars that we needed, moving the needle on public safety. So we are still going through the budget. There's a lot of things we... It's really new. We want to look through and see exactly how we apply these resources to the issues that are important to New Yorkers.

Lehrer: What'd you get and not get, excuse me, on bail reform?

Mayor Adams: Again, we're still analyzing. We don't have the full budget to look through right now, we're still analyzing. But I'll say this, I commend the lawmakers and governor who, remember when I first went up to push this issue people said it was impossible, people totally dismissed it. But my partners in Albany that heard me, understood how important it is to close these loopholes of those who are dealing with crime or criminal element in our state. We were able to make some changes, but we have more to do. I want to be really clear, there's more to do. We have to go further, but I do want to commend those partners up there that heard me when I visited them and they went back to their respective chambers and stated that, "We need to give Eric and the other state lawmakers the assistance they need to deal with the violence we're seeing on our streets."

Lehrer: Let me ask you the data question. Because as you know, opponents of rolling back bail reform say there's no data that bail reform is linked to any higher crime rates. And they say other cities like Philly and Houston that did not have a new bail reform, saw much steeper increases in murder rates than New York. So do you have any data that trumps those comparisons?

Mayor Adams: Yes. And here's what we need to look at. And I say this over and over again. I really need people to visualize this. There are many rivers that feed the sea of violence. You have to dam each river. So when you hear people say, "Well, only 500 people that came out that were criminals and came out back out and committed a crime." That's 500 shooters, that's 500 potential victims, those are 500 potential robberies. So the reforms I called for was not rolling back our successful reforms, it was tweaking those areas where those small number of people who are repeated offenders are creating havoc and crime in our city.

Mayor Adams: The police commissioner just rolled out the other day on increasing crime we have in our city and gave cases of people who were arrested for guns coming back out, carrying guns again. There's a real energy in the city by bad people and dangerous, violent people that there is no repercussion for their violent actions. We have to stop that. And this is more than bail reform. Everybody keeps talking about one aspect of my blueprint to end gun violence. That blueprint included crisis management team, included foster care support, it included discovery. That's the whole plan that we laid out. So it's more than just bail. Bail is one of those rivers that we had to dam.

Lehrer: All right. As we run out of time, Mr. Mayor, and as you get toward Yankee Stadium for opening day today, I got to ask, can our vegan mayor get Yankee Stadium to have some veggie vendors along with the hot dogs and the beer?

Mayor Adams: I'm going to tell them that today, healthy food is imperative. And you know I believe that health is wealth and we are going to definitely have that conversation.

Lehrer: [Singing] I want to see it. You can help bring it about. Congratulations on a 100 days in office, it's just the first inning, to torture the baseball metaphor, in a four-year term to come. So thank you for coming on. We look forward to more.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Take care.

Appears live on the YES Network

Michael Kay: We are back at our opening day coverage here on YES as we continue Yankees on YES, setting the table for Yankees/Red Sox. And we're pleased to be joined by New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the starting shortstop today for, oh no, wait, I'm sorry. His son, Jordan, and this is great, a little father-son time at the ballpark today, right?

Mayor Adams: And you see that a lot. You see father-son, father-daughters, family coming together. You know, this is America's sport. Chevrolet, baseball, apple pie, you can't be more American than that.

Kay: Obviously, not your first trip to a ballpark or a stadium, right?

Jordan Coleman: No, no, this is definitely not my first time. And seeing my dad out there throwing the ball around, I think he's still got something.

Kay: Is he just a straight fastball or has he got cutter?

Coleman: No, he got a couple curve balls, but you got to watch out for the slider as well.

Kay: But yeah, I was thinking, more of a 12-6 curveball or more breaking away from the right hander?

Mayor Adams: Breaking away.

Kay: Hey, let's talk about today's game, in particular, with a vaccine mandate changing. New York City is moving forward right now. How do you think baseball helps in that recovery?

Mayor Adams: So much. You think about back during 9-11, that baseball game between the Mets, when Piazza hit the home run, it just increased our energy and the boost to the economy, our city, and this is so important. The way goes New York, goes America, and being able to come back to the park again, the economy, all of these stores around here benefit from Yankees being here. So it just means a lot to our city. A World Series is going to really help this entire country.

Kay: Oh, no doubt. And Jordan, I would think for you and your buddies, just able to breathe a sigh of relief just to come into the ballpark, relax and enjoy a ball game, right?

Coleman: It is definitely good to see it on TV, but once you smell the air, I got to touch some of the gravel and whatnot, it's definitely good to be here for sure.

Kay: Absolutely. All right. So we talk about baseball players with milestones. On Sunday, you're coming up on 100 days in office. How is the start going in your opinion?

Mayor Adams: Good, we’re laying a foundation from historical problems. We have to be safe, get crime under control across the country, and public safety and justice, they are the prerequisite to prosperity. And then we want to get our economy back up and operating. Tourism coming here, opening our stores, our businesses, and so we seeing people back in office spaces. We're excited about the future, but at the heart of that is we must be safe. On that D train that comes to the ballpark, people must feel safe and I'm going to zero in, supporting my police, giving them the tools to do their job.

Kay: All right. So I want to ask you about your history with baseball and how it's affected Jordan. When did you start being a baseball fan? What got you into it?

Mayor Adams: As a child, growing up, and I saw my son play little league ball. People think that it's only about playing on a professional team, but it's not. It's learning how to play together.

Kay: Yup.

Mayor Adams: It's learning discipline. I see how disciplined he is right now and he came from those days of Little League baseball and learning how sometimes you fail.

Kay: Yeah.

Mayor Adams: From playing ball as a kid, I learned that sometimes you strike out, but you got nine innings in the game, and just keep moving forward. And I see that in him every day, how baseball really helped him become from a boy to a man today.

Coleman: Absolutely.

Kay: When you were playing, was he sitting in the stands quiet? Was he up there screaming and yelling?

Coleman: He was on the phone a couple of times, but when he heard the crack of the bat with me running the bases, he was looking and paying attention. I think that was one of the coolest things about it, you know? And it taught me patience. Baseball is all about patience. And he was talking about the game of life, there's a lot of patience that you're going to need in it, and baseball really helps out with it for sure.

Kay: Well, guys, thanks so much for joining us. Really appreciate it. Enjoy the afternoon.

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