Transcript: Mayor Adams Hosts “Hear From the Mayor” Radio Show

June 16, 2024

Gary Byrd: This morning we are once again pleased to welcome our brother with us, each and every Sunday of the month WBLS is proud to welcome the 110th mayor of New York City, the second mayor of color and the first hip-hop mayor in the city's history. It's time to hear from our mayor, Mayor Eric Adams on 107.5 WBLS. Mr. Mayor, good morning and welcome. 

Mayor Eric Adams: Hey, welcome and happy Father's Day to you, Gary, and all the dads that are out there and really happy Juneteenth, such a significant group of days that are together as we respect our dads and what they have done and will continue to do in our lives.  

I'm really excited about the show today, but before I do that, I want to remind people how to reach and call in so we can hear from you. You can dial (212) 545-1075, (212) 545-1075 and this will give you an opportunity to call into the show so that we can hear from you and we're excited about the show today.  

I'm joined with a person I just really have grown to love and admire how he has thought differently about his agency, DYCD. This is the Department of Youth and Community Development. My friend, Commissioner Keith Howard and, he's a dad of two and I would love for him to just say happy Father's Day to his children and dig right into what we're planning this weekend for dad. He had a great program yesterday that he will go into as well. Keith, great to have you on the show. 

Commissioner Keith Howard, Department of Youth and Community Development: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Happy Father's Day. 

Mayor Adams: Tell us about the weekend that you had that you put together. I know yesterday you had a great program over at the Botanical, I think it was the Botanical Garden?  

Commissioner Howard: New York Aquarium.  

Mayor Adams: Aquarium, okay. 

Commissioner Howard: In Brooklyn, Coney Island. 

Mayor Adams: Yes, tell us about that day and tell us about the items that you have coming up for dads and young people. 

Commissioner Howard: Yesterday was an amazing event. Actually it's the 17th event that we have done for dads and that's connecting dads and reconnecting dads to their families and to their children.  

This event at the New York Aquarium was roughly about 200 fathers and children just bonding and just going to the museums inside and having, you know we fed them, which is always good, and just having a very good experience with their children. 

Mayor Adams: What’s interesting, those moments of bonding, those moments of utilizing city activities and services and resources to bring people together, no one would have thought about, “Okay, let's use a museum, let's use an aquarium, let's use some of our public spaces,” where you are directly enjoying yourself, but indirectly you are creating these moments of memories and bondings that come together. It's really amazing when you think about it. 

Commissioner Howard: Yes, I want to shout out, the wife, Stephanie, my daughter, Maya, my son, Tyler, and it's about being in that space, showing up, right? Then as you indicated, having the city lead that effort, understanding that there are disconnects that we have to consciously put resources to, and that's one of the things that you have asked us to do at DYCD. 

Mayor Adams: I'm really excited about what you're doing with Rikers Island. I am a mayor that has been on Rikers Island probably more than any other mayor in history, you know I had a rebaptism ceremony on Rikers Island with the inmates. I love what La La Anthony is doing in her program on Rikers as well as the Fatherless No More program.  

People don't realize how much is being done by ordinary people but this is an amazing event that you're planning on doing on the 18th. We have a great commissioner up there. Lynelle is just amazing. She brings a real spiritual base to the healing process there. 

It's not about just incarceration. It is about inspiration and how do we inspire people to know that. Because you are behind bars does not mean those bars are inside you, but let us know about the event you're doing on the 18th. 

Commissioner Howard: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. We got to get a shout out to Commissioner Molina as well. He actually is the one that sat down with me and the team to develop this program.  

I think it all stems from you and your leadership telling us, "Hey, you know what? We need to take a real look at the young people on Rikers Island. We need to be able to provide them with resources." I think, in one of your speeches, you had mentioned how are we disturbing that pipeline and that was very, very important to us at DYCD. 

We have 17 graduates. It's a pilot program with our Fatherhood Initiative. Commissioner Molina, Commissioner Liddie, we're sitting down going through a series a different workshop with young people, young fathers, developing parenting skills which is key. Bonding, you and I just talked about bonding. Financial support, what does that look like if you're locked up? Or when you come out and you have to pay child support, how do you navigate that? 

Resources like legal and counseling, peer-to-peer, something that you and I have echoed, and you have been a champion in this is mental health and trauma. You're locked up, visitation is limited, just imagine the experiences that you're going through because you don't have access and you don't have access to your family. You don't have access to children. The program puts 17 graduates through a series of different workshops to develop those tools. 

Mayor Adams: It's so important what impacts us and really shapes our thoughts and minds. I like what's coming up at John Jay Friday the 21st. You have another initiative that you're doing around fatherhood. Can you go into that as well? 

Commissioner Howard: Sure. We call that Affirming Fatherhood and that is just a testimony of bringing all the dads together. Shout out to Karol, the president over at John Jay, for hosting us. Me being an alumni of John Jay two times, it was providing space and access and for our fathers to really convene and have that peer-to-peer conversation. What does it actually look like for a father to be able to have that support? I love the opportunity to be able to talk to another dad and just talking about resources, how are you coping? 

That's the best type of exchange. How are you coping? What do you need? Affirming Fatherhood does that and does that in many ways. Sitting down talking about what are those fatherhood issues. Working away, navigating through it because it could be anywhere from, "Hey, you know what? How do I build a support system around me?" Now, I was a single dad for a while and I knew the issues surrounding my mental health, consultation, building that family support. If I did not have that family support, I struggled. Building those resources is extremely important and the city has to continue to lead in that effort. 

Mayor Adams: That's amazing when you talk about being a single dad, it just shows us when I look at the team that we have built, how our life experiences have allowed us to bring a level of compassion to this to this work that we're doing. I'm hoping that the listeners will understand that there's so many ways to reach us. We like to stay engaged and in touch. You can sign up to hear more from what we're doing by visiting nyc.gov/hearfromeric. You can also sign up on our website to text with Eric. You can talk with me on WhatsApp and you can also listen to our Get Stuff Done podcast. 

It's a series of things and ways that you can communicate directly with us. It's so important to have direct-to-citizens communication. You have just done some stuff at DYCD, the summer youth employment, over 100,000 young people. Then when you look at the youth town halls, they were just so informative of where are we with the summer youth employment and can you give us some takeaways from the youth town halls that we held? 

Commissioner Howard: Record number of applications, 183,000 young people saying, "I need employment opportunities and us matching them. I think that this year is going to be great. As you know, Mr. Mayor, you've said this often that summer youth employment is a blueprint to safety, especially your blueprint to end gun violence. We are ready. We've already enrolled a good number of young people, so we're ready to rock and roll on July 1st, enrolling our jobs with amazing providers. 

On top of that, as you know, because your level of investment is amazing, we're talking about Summer Rising as well. Summer Rising, 110,000 young people from K-8 going and having those camp life experiences, our partnership with New York City Public Schools, Chancellor Banks, he's been amazing in this, the teams. I think to your credit, when you first came into office, you said break down those silos. I want commissioners. I want everyone working together. This is the testimony of exactly that result. 

Mayor Adams: What you're doing with the Summer Youth Employment is more than the summer youth employment I had when we used to just go in and sit around all day. You've really transformed it and it's developing the full personhood of our young people. What are some of the things they're getting outside that paycheck that could help them with family bills, buying clothing from schools, but you're doing some more things with it as well? 

Commissioner Howard: Yes, absolutely. Financial literacy is one of the things that you made sure that every young people experience. You got to know what to do with that check when you get that check. You got to know how to spend your check and spend it wisely. All the young people go through financial literacy. We have a career expiration with our middle school kids because one of the things that was part of your state of the city is I want young people, especially in middle school, to have career explorations. 

They go on various trips. Microsoft is one of the ones that they go to. They go to a series of different-- the Real Estate Board. They go up there and just experiencing how I can be in that space. You also echo the fact that you wanted them to have tech. We are very highly into the tech world as well. Young people are not only getting paid during the summer doing those tasks, but they're also experiencing how I can be in that space. 

Mayor Adams: Because it's exposure, exposure, exposure. I grew up in South Jamaica, Queens, born in Brownsville but grew up in South Jamaica, Queens. My whole life was in one square mile. Everything we did went to the park in one square mile school in one square mile until I went to high school. Exposure is crucial.  

We have to have our children know if you leave your block or your community, you don't fall off the globe. There's so much to do and I think what you're doing, you are creating not metrocard leaders but passport leaders and exposure can do it. I hear the music. We're going to take a break and we're going to come back and we're going to hear from the audience. WBLS Hear From Eric today. 

[Commercial break.] 

Byrd: Good morning. You look to have Gary Bird on your radio. Mayor Eric Adams is with us this morning. The program is Hear From the Mayor, and the mayor wants to hear from you with a special guest. Joining us, Keith Howard, commissioner of the Department of Youth and Community Development. Now back to the program and your calls coming at 212-545-1075. Here's Mayor Eric Adams. 

Mayor Adams: Yes, we're looking forward to hearing from our callers, and I was just speaking with Commissioner Howard while we were off talking about passports. One of the initiatives we're working on is to make sure every student when they graduate will have a passport.  

We believe in a global city. We need to be creating global leaders and too many of our young people are not really understanding how important it is to have that exposure. Our goal is to really awaken the spirit inside our young people so they know that they don't have to only be on their block the globe is their block. 

Let's go to some of our callers. Do we have any callers on hold ready to say happy Father's Day to all of you? 

Byrd: The callers are standing by. Welcome in. 

Mayor Adams: Who do we go to first? 

Question: Hello. 

Mayor Adams: Hello, how are you? 

Question: Hello, Mayor. 

Mayor Adams: Yes, sir. How are you doing? 

Question: I'm fine. I agree with you about broadening the scope of young people and taking them out of their neighborhoods. My question to you is I'm not a big fan of illegal aliens but the fact that I see a lot of brothers that look like you and me and they're being ignored. Is there a special consideration you're giving for people that look like you because the Venezuelans are Caucasians? These African brothers come here and most of them look like decent people but nobody talks about them. 

Mayor, you got to straighten up [inaudible]. I'm serious because it looks like you don't care about your own people. Gary Byrd taught us that the Black man or the African built the pyramid. I don't see one black face on a construction site down here. I'll hang up and listen. Have a good day. 

Mayor Adams: All right. Thank you, brother. Perception is the reality of the person who's perceiving it but it's so important for us to live in the universe of facts. That is so important. Let's first deal with the migrant asylum seekers that came to the city over 200,000.  

I don't have the authorization to stop the buses from coming in. I don't have the authorization to say people can't get three meals a day and their clothing cleaned and a place to sleep. I don't even have the authorization to allow people to work and I can't even allow them to volunteer, give them a stipend. Many of them want to do so. 

Just so you know what the brother was saying my brothers and sisters from West Africa that are coming from the continent of Africa, they are getting the same services that everyone is getting. We do not say that based on your ethnicity or based on what origin that you came from that you're not going to get those services. Many of the long term New Yorkers, they receive benefits that migrants and asylum seekers cannot receive such as FHEPS vouchers. We've given out the largest number of FHEPS vouchers in the history of the program. 

Our brothers and sisters who are in homeless shelters, we transitioned more people in one year out of the homeless shelters into permanent housing in one year in the history of this city. When you look at the services we're doing from justice-involved young people, two we reduced unemployment in the city with four times the rates of whites for Blacks. We reduced it in half, less than 8 percent for the first time since 2019. When you start looking at our W's, you'll really see that this mayor of color has focus on folks of color. 

Even in MWBEs, you look at the dollar amount that has been increasing in MWBEs. Let's not buy into the narrative, because this is what we did with Mayor Dinkins, and you know we got in return Giuliani. Don't buy into the narrative, brother. Look at the facts, and the facts can show you that I'm living in the spirit of what I have been in these last 35, 40 years. 

Byrd: It's Hear From the Mayor, and the mayor wants to hear from you on 107.5 WBLS, good morning and welcome. 

Question: Good morning. Good morning, and happy Father's Day to all of you. 

Mayor Adams: Thank you, good morning. 

Question: Good morning, Mr. Mayor. First of all, I'd like to say I disagree in my own opinion with the previous caller. I'd like for us to have– anyone ever heard of a game called pickleball? It is a new sport that's been introduced in the communities, not enough in Black and Brown communities, especially for our youth.  

We recently just got brand new courts done in the East New York section of Brooklyn at a park called Linden Park that is not completed as yet. We're in the process of waiting for the nets and the poles to be installed and the timing will be good, especially being introduced to the youth in the community. 

In the '80s, I used to play handball at this park and as a youth, that was the biggest thing to help deter a lot of violence to help deal with a lot of crime, handball, paddle ball, and basketball with some of our activities as youth. This is a new game, a new sport that I'm hoping that our community has embraced, but we don't get the opportunity because again, those courts at that location has not been completed by the Parks Department as yet. 

I agree with everything that you're saying in reference to what we need to continue to do. I'm hoping that you can look into stuff that needs to be brought more to our attention in our community. Thank you. 

Mayor Adams: I love that so much. Sister, leave your information so we can get over there. I love pickleball, and it's great for our seniors and our youth. We can do an intergenerational game. We can do a Father's Day, Mother's Day game. I would love to come out there and you and I do a tournament together with the young people in the area.  

If they have a paddle ball in their hand, they won't have a pistol in their hand. It's about how do we give alternatives and allow our young people to experience and enjoy what other communities are doing. That's what I'm focused on, equitable distribution of city resources.  

Let me find out what's happening with that park. I didn't get the exact location. I know you said it was in East New York, but let me find out, and I'll speak with the park commissioner. Let's get those nets up and let's start playing some pickleball. I love pickleball playing. It's a good recreational activity. 

Byrd: It's Hear from the Mayor, and the mayor wants to hear from you. Good morning and welcome at WBLS. Go right ahead. 

Question: Hello? Hello, Mayor? 

Mayor Adams: Yes, sir. How are you? Good. I can hear you, brother. 

Question: I would like to know, it's a good thing doing these educational programs with our young people in jail, but nobody has given the thought of why we have so many of our young people in jail a nyway.  

My daughter is a lawyer, and she asked me to come down to court with her night court one time. All you had was our young people, all around the courtroom, going in front of the judge. I had to ask the judge, "Don't other people commit crimes? This is ridiculous. Why are we having so many of our young people locked up in the first place? How can we get to them before they get in the hands of the criminal justice system?" 

Mayor Adams: Agree 100 percent, brother, especially from someone that was locked up at 15 years old. I know how you can find yourself trapped in the system. Let's do an analysis. The best way to solve a problem is to look downstream at the results of the failure of systems. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu states, we spend a lifetime pulling people out of the river. No one goes upstream and prevent them from falling in, in the first place. 

What did we do when we came into our office? We realized that almost 30 percent to 40 percent of our young people that are incarcerated at Rikers Island are dyslexic. We're doing dyslexia screening to give them the resources they deserve so, like me, they don't feel as though they're dumb and they can't learn. They just learn differently. Then we said, "Let's go after giving them alternative." That is what Commissioner Howard said. 

Summer Rising, entire summer programs, were they able to get these camp-type services where they're strengthening their abilities. 100,000 summer youth employment, where they're learning financial literacy, other skills so they can be prepared, going after our justice-involved young people to allow them to get employed, teaching our young people how to really manage their emotions through breathing exercises, meditation, healthy eating habits, volunteerism. 

Our public engagement units and other entities are engaging in our youth in these real programs. We have to be preventive and intervene. That is what we must do, and that's what this administration is doing because I'm taking my life experience as someone who was on the wrong path, made some stupid mistakes.  

I know I'm perfectly imperfect, but what I've learned I can help young people avoid that, I'm with you. I don't want to see our young people in the courtroom, I want to see them in the boardroom running their own organizations and entities and that's what this administration is doing. 

Byrd: Moving into our final moments and getting ready to give you the information that connects you to our mayor and directly to City Hall. Brother Eric. 

Mayor Adams: Thank you, brother. Again, you can sign up to hear more from me visiting nyc.gov/hearfromeric. Or you can sign up on our website to text with Eric, you can talk with me on WhatsApp and you can listen to my Get Stuff Done podcast.  

It's so important that information is the key and let's listen to facts, not fiction, and we fought hard 30 years since we had another mayor of color after Mayor Dinkins. I remember what happened to Mayor Dinkins and how his own base didn't see what he was doing with his safe cities. Bringing public safety, turning around our economy. 

We've done it here, folks. Let's stay focused, no distractions, and let's work hard and grind. 

Byrd: Giving thanks. The mayor joins us, as some of you know, each and every second week of the month, and we look forward to having him back with us in the days ahead, Brother Eric, giving thanks. 

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