When New York City Mayor Eric Adams won the Democratic primary in the mayoral election, people had high hopes of what he might accomplish when elected. Running on an aggressive law and order platform, he beat out his more progressive competitors and promised that if elected, he would clean up crime in the city.
Even some Republicans welcomed the change in pace. While they knew they would disagree with him on other policy matters, they could appreciate that Adams eschewed the “Defund the Police” campaign that had grown in popularity on the left.
Unfortunately, he has been a huge letdown.
For starters, Adams has shown a remarkable lack of self-awareness and an inability to read the room. While people are dealing with heightened crime rates in the city, he tweeted a video of him jet skiing over the July 4th holiday.
Looking like a pro after my first jet skiing lesson from an amazing instructor. Thinking about making this my periodic commute to work during the summer…
Happy 4th of July! #GSD pic.twitter.com/SA3OPBOzIz
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) July 4, 2022
Folks weren’t exactly impressed with the mayor’s tone-deaf tweet and pointed out the optics of him living it up while people are dodging bullets in his city. Here are some of the responses:
I wanted to like you, but I just can't.
— Mike (@nycmw2) July 4, 2022
If you need an instructor to learn how to safely operate a jet ski, no wonder #NYC is stuck in Park on crime.
— Allen (@Allen073157) July 4, 2022
Swagger above substance
— Jack Mayhoffer (@JackMayhoffer18) July 4, 2022
In another example showing he is out of touch with his constituents, the mayor jumped on the opportunity to rub shoulders with the rest of the elites at the Met Gala this year. He showed up wearing a flashy suit with text that read: “End gun violence.”
Mayor Adams is so out of touch and so fake.. The elitists are laughing at us all.
Eric Adams sports ‘END GUN VIOLENCE’ tux on Met Gala 2022 red carpet.. pic.twitter.com/BvXLvbNGDI
— 🌺🦋Just me👀Cassie🌺🦋🌺 (@browneyegirl400) May 3, 2022
Stunts like this in and of themselves aren’t necessarily wrong, but when he’s having a night out on the town while residents are worried about crime, it’s not exactly a good look. He has given the impression that he is more focused on being a celebrity than cleaning up the streets as he promised on the campaign trail.
Chris Sommerfeldt with the New York Daily News called Adams out for his ongoing tone-deafness:
Thinking about how @NYCMayor said Monday he can’t be in any given place for more than 3 hours because “this is a big city with big issues and big problems and I’m a mayor that has to respond to them.”
A few hours later, he went to the Met Gala & then flew to LA for a 3-day trip.
Thinking about how @NYCMayor said Monday he can’t be in any given place for more than 3 hours because “this is a big city with big issues and big problems and I'm a mayor that has to respond to them.”
A few hours later, he went to the Met Gala & then flew to LA for a 3-day trip.
— Chris Sommerfeldt is on vacation ☀️ (@C_Sommerfeldt) May 4, 2022
But these are more superficial matters. In fact, if he were actually doing something about crime, these things could be easily forgiven. Unfortunately, the reality is something far more different.
AmNY reported that crime is still increasing in the Big Apple:
According to NYPD statistics, crime in New York City increased by 30.5%, with 11,619 crimes in July 2022 compared to 8,906 in July 2021. Almost every category of crime increased last month, with the exception of rape, which decreased from 149 last year to 142 in July 2022 — a 4.7% decrease. The NYPD acknowledges that rape continues to be underreported.
Last month, the number of murders increased year-over-over from 35 in July 2021 to 47 in July 2022, a 34.3% change.
Nonviolent crimes have also surged. “The number of grand larcenies saw a huge 40.6% spike from 3,262 crimes in July 2021 to 4,588 crimes in July 2022, and burglaries rose 25.6% from 1,055 in July 2021 to 1,325 in July 2022. Robberies saw a 37.2% increase compared to July 2021 (1,730 last month compared to 1,261 in 2021),” the author wrote. “Auto theft incidents increased from 995 in July 2021 to 1,256 in July 2022, a 26.2% increase, while felony assaults increased from 2,149 crimes in July 2021 to 2,531 in July 2022, a 17.8% spike.”
Most recently, Adams has been engaged in a feud with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott over immigration. Despite proclaiming to be an ardent open borders advocate, he is taking issue with the Lone Star State busing illegal immigrants to New York City so that they can share in the consequences of the policies they support. On Sunday, he referred to the move as “horrific.” Odd choice of words from someone who gives the impression that we should welcome as many legal and illegal immigrants as possible, isn’t it?
Meanwhile, New Yorkers are still feeling unsafe as woke district attorneys like Alvin Bragg would rather prosecute a man for defending himself than crack down on crime.
Adams took office on Jan. 1 of this year. It is now eight months into his tenure as mayor, and he has yet to make a positive difference when it comes to curbing violent crime. Instead, he has spent his time focused on whining about dealing with immigrants, violating civil rights law, and pushing gun control laws that make it harder for New Yorkers dealing with heightened crime rates to defend themselves.
There is still time for Adams to turn things around. But at this point, I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were living in New York City. This mayor seems to have other priorities than cleaning up crime.
