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Eric Adams

Eric Leroy Adams (born September 1, 1960) is an American politician and former police officer, currently serving as the 110th mayor of New York City since 2022. An ideologically moderate member of the Democratic Party, Adams was an officer in the New York City Transit Police and then the New York City Police Department (NYPD) for more than 20 years, retiring at the rank of captain. He served in the New York State Senate from 2006 to 2013, representing the 20th Senate district in Brooklyn. In November 2013, Adams was elected Brooklyn Borough President, the first African-American to hold the position, and reelected in November 2017.

This article is about the politician. For the heavy metal singer, see Eric Adams (musician).

Eric Adams

Eric Leroy Adams

(1960-09-01) September 1, 1960
New York City, U.S.

Democratic (before 1997, 2001–present)

Republican (1997–2001)[1]

1

Gracie Mansion (Official)

  • Politician
  • police officer
  • author

1984–2006

Adams was elected mayor of New York City in the city's 2021 mayoral election. He received the Democratic Party's nomination after narrowly winning a crowded Democratic mayoral primary which used instant-runoff voting (ranked-choice voting). In the general election, Adams won a landslide victory over Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.[3][4][5] Adams was sworn in as mayor shortly after midnight on January 1, 2022. As mayor, he has taken what is seen as a tough-on-crime approach and reintroduced a plain-clothed unit of police officers that had been disbanded by the previous administration. He has also implemented a zero-tolerance policy on homeless people sleeping in subway cars alongside increased police presence.[6][7]

Early life and education[edit]

Adams was born in Brownsville, Brooklyn on September 1, 1960.[8] His mother, Dorothy Mae Adams-Streeter (1938–2021),[9][10] worked double shifts as a housecleaner and had received only a third-grade education.[11] His father, Leroy Adams, was a butcher who struggled with alcohol abuse.[12][13] Both of his parents moved to New York City from Alabama in the 1950s.[13] Adams was raised in a rat-infested tenement in Bushwick, Brooklyn. His family was so poor that he often brought a bag of clothes to school with him in case of a sudden eviction from his home.[14] By 1968, his mother managed to save up enough money to buy a house and move the family to South Jamaica, Queens.[13] He was the fourth of six children. As a young boy, he sometimes earned money as a squeegee boy.[14]


At age 14, Adams joined a gang, the 7-Crowns, and became known as "a tough little guy".[13] He would hold money for local hustlers. He also ran errands, including purchasing groceries, for a dancer and part-time prostitute named Micki after she became injured.[13] After Micki refused to pay for the groceries he purchased or his work, Adams and his brother stole her TV and a money order. The two were later arrested for criminal trespassing.[13] While in police custody, they were beaten by NYPD officers until a black cop intervened. Adams was sent to a juvenile detention center for a few days before being sentenced to probation.[13] Adams had post-traumatic stress disorder after the incident and has said that the violent encounter motivated him to enter law enforcement. He was particularly intrigued by the black police officer and by the "swagger" and "respect" that comes with being in law enforcement.[13] A local pastor of The House of the Lord Pentecostal Church added to his motivation when he suggested that by joining the police force, he could aid in reforming police culture from within. Adams would later attend his church often.[15][16][17][18]


Adams graduated from Bayside High School in Queens in January 1979,[19] but struggled to maintain good grades.[20] He began attending college while working as a mechanic and a mailroom clerk at the Brooklyn District Attorney's office, receiving an associate degree from the New York City College of Technology, a bachelor's degree from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and an MPA from Marist College.[21] Adams experienced an academic turnaround that he credits to a dyslexia diagnosis in college: "I went from a D student to the dean's list."[22] As a result, he became a strong advocate for early dyslexia screening in public schools.[23]

Early political career[edit]

In the 1990s, Adams began to eye a political career with the ultimate goal of becoming the Mayor of New York City. He spoke to William Lynch Jr., who was an advisor to Mayor David Dinkins, about a political career.[14] Lynch encouraged Adams first to obtain a bachelor's degree, rise within the NYPD's ranks and successfully run for a lower political office.[14]


During the 1993 mayoral election, Adams, a supporter of the incumbent David Dinkins, made a controversial comment about a candidate for New York State Comptroller, Herman Badillo. Adams said that if Badillo—who was Puerto Rican—were concerned about the Hispanic community, he would have married a Hispanic woman and not a white Jewish woman.[34] These comments became a point of turmoil in the election. They caused controversy for Dinkins, who ultimately lost the election.[30]


In 1994, Adams ran for Congress against incumbent Major Owens in the Democratic primary for New York's 11th congressional district, condemning Owens for denouncing Louis Farrakhan,[1] but failed to receive enough valid signatures to make the ballot.[35] Adams claimed his petition signatures had been stolen by someone on behalf of Owens, but police found no corroborating evidence.[14][30]


Adams registered as a Republican in 1997 before switching back to the Democratic Party in 2001, according to the Board of Elections.[1][36] Adams has said his switch to the Republican Party was a protest move against what he saw as failed Democratic leadership.[14]

New York State Senate (2007–2013)[edit]

In 2006, Adams ran for the New York State Senate.[11] He was elected and served four terms until 2013, when he was elected Brooklyn Borough President.[37] He represented the 20th Senate District, which includes parts of the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, and Sunset Park.[37]


In the State Senate, Adams was known for being a rabble rouser who could capture the media's attention. He would often flaunt his convertible BMW. He placed billboards around parts of Brooklyn bemoaning pants sagging.[14] He also published an instructional video to teach parents how to search their child's room for contraband. In the demonstration, Adams finds a crack pipe in a backpack, bullets behind a picture frame, and marijuana secreted inside of a doll.[14] As a freshman state senator in 2007, he joined other legislators requesting a pay raise for New York's lawmakers, who had not received a raise since 1999. At the time, they ranked third-highest in pay among state lawmakers in the United States.[38][39] During his speech on the floor supporting a pay raise for legislators, he said: "show me the money."[14]


In 2009, two New York State Senate Democrats aligned with Republicans, creating a standoff over who would be the Senate's next leader.[14] Adams worked to foster a compromise to nominate John L. Sampson as the Minority Leader of the New York State Senate.[14] That same year, Adams was one of 24 state senators to vote in favor of marriage equality in New York State.[40] He spoke in support of the freedom to marry during the debate before the vote.[40] After the bill failed to become law, he again voted to legalize same-sex marriage in New York in 2011. On July 24, 2011, New York's Marriage Equality Act came into effect.[41]


In 2010, Adams became Chair of the Senate Racing and Wagering Committee and was praised for his engagement. He would spend hours traveling and visiting racetracks to study the issue further.[14] He came under investigation for his handling of choosing an operator to run the gambling operation at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens. A report conducted by the state inspector general was critical of Adams's judgment as he leaked information on the bidding process, fundraised from potential bidders, and attended the victory celebration of the company awarded the contract.[14][30] The matter was referred to the United States Department of Justice, but they took no action and Adams admitted no wrongdoing, calling the report a "political hit piece".[14][30][42][43] In February 2010, Adams was one of just eight members of the New York Senate who voted not to expel Senator Hiram Monserrate from the legislature after he was convicted of assault for dragging his girlfriend down a hallway and slashing her face with a piece of glass.[14]


Adams was a vocal opponent of the NYPD's "stop and frisk" policy, which predominantly affected young black and Latino men, and which, in 2000, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights said constituted racial profiling.[44] In 2011, he supported calling for a federal investigation into stop-and-frisk practices.[44] He championed a bill to stop the NYPD from gathering data about individuals who had been stopped but not charged.[45]


In 2012, Adams served as co-chair of New York's State Legislators Against Illegal Guns.[46][47] Adams and five other state lawmakers wore hooded sweatshirts in the legislative chamber on March 12, 2012, in protest of the shooting of Trayvon Martin, a Florida teen who was killed by another civilian, George Zimmerman.[48][49]

Eric Adams

Eric Adams
Brooklyn Borough President (2013–2021)

  • Announced: November 18, 2020
  • Presumptive nominee: July 7, 2021
  • Official nominee: July 20, 2021
  • Won election: November 2, 2021
  • Inaugurated: January 1, 2022

Brooklyn, New York

Frank Carrone (senior advisor)
Katie Moore (campaign manager)
Menashe Shapiro (senior advisor)
Evan Thies (communications advisor)

Healthy at Last: A Plant-Based Approach to Preventing and Reversing Diabetes and Other Chronic Illnesses. Hay House. 2020.  978-1401960568.[177]

ISBN

Don't Let It Happen. . 2009. ISBN 978-1607919858.[184][185]

Xulon Press

Government website

Campaign website

on X

Mayor Eric Adams

on C-SPAN

Appearances

at IMDb 

Eric Adams