New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he did not understand why the public would be concerned after the most recent round of federal raids into members of his administration, coupled with the resignations of Police Commissioner Edward Caban and his Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg.
The mayor, speaking at his regular Tuesday press conference, said city residents are much more concerned with the quality of life, rather than the several investigations into his closest aides by the federal government.
“I don't understand. Because if they had that same level of concern, then I would see it,” said Adams. “They're talking about housing. They're talking about education. They're talking about the issues that impact them.”
The mayor stayed tight-lipped on the investigations plaguing his administration, and stuck to letting things “take its course."
When a reporter broached Adams with the story of a former supporter at the African American Day Parade over the weekend, who had now soured on his re-election bid citing concerns about the investigation, the mayor dismissed the example as an anomaly.
“Because of the fright and flight mindset, we always look at the negative because that's the sense of survival,” said Adams. “You were able to find one. And you could find one in everything.”
That said, by the end of the press conference, the mayor admitted that city residents have a right to be concerned about his administration.
“Let me be clear, New Yorkers are concerned because this is concerning,” he said. "I strongly believe, at the final analysis, is you're going to see that just as the overwhelming number of city employees are doing what's right, that's what is going to come out of this. That people are doing what is right."
There are four separate investigations being conducted into the mayor and his administration, with three carried out by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
So far, Adams and top city officials targeted by federal agents have not been charged with any crimes.
The mayor also defended the New York City Police Department after a shooting in Brownsville on the Sutter Avenue L train stop, which left four people wounded on Sunday.
Derell Mickles, 37, was shot in the stomach after brandishing a knife and threatening officers who were following him after Mickles evaded the fare, according to the NYPD.
Mickles and the innocent civilian shot in the head remain in critical condition.
The mayor said he watched the video of the shooting and determined the police officers followed all department procedures correctly.
“It's just unfortunate that innocent people were shot because of that, but they were shot because there was a dangerous, repeated offender on our subway system,” said Adams. “I thought those officers responded accordingly.”
The mayor also cited Mickles' 20 arrests throughout his life.
"I think those officers took great strides to bring a person with an over 20 arrest history that we could talk about," the mayor said. "My heart goes out to his parents. No parents want to lose a child. But this was a bad guy. And I saw the video. I saw the steps those police officers implemented. Over and over again, trying to reason with the perpetrator. And so some people said, well, you shouldn't be enforcing fare evasion. No. This is not a city where any and everything goes.
Additionally, the mayor condemned social media companies for enabling dangerous behavior among young people after an 11-year-old died while subway surfing on the G train at the 4th Avenue-9th Street stop in Park Slope on Monday.
“If you go and look at some of these subway surfers, they get millions of views,” said Adams. “That is helping to proliferate this problem, and it's not helping, but it's harming, and I think it's irresponsible.”
Major social media platforms “should not post any subway surfing video” and deserved to be held responsible, the mayor said.
