Trey Paul, FISM News
[elfsight_social_share_buttons id=”1″]
Never one to shy away from speaking his mind, New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) is raising the eyebrows of people within his own party after saying some store customers who wear masks are more likely trying not to get caught shoplifting than stopping the spread of COVID.
“Let’s be clear, some of these characters going into stores that are wearing their mask, they’re not doing it because they’re afraid of the pandemic, they’re doing it because they’re afraid of the police,” Mayor Adams, a former NYC police officer, said during a television interview with PIX 11. “We need to stop allowing them to exploit the safety of the pandemic by wearing masks, committing crimes.”
Mayor Adams, who pushed one of the strictest and longest mask mandates in the country, is now pushing the use of facial recognition technology to reduce rampant crime across the Big Apple. With the help of facial recognition software, he says he hopes to crack down on not only shoplifting but repeat offenders who may be linked to more serious and violent crimes.
After fellow Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her race in Chicago, Mayor Adams said it was a “warning sign for the country.” Lightfoot became the first incumbent Chicago mayor in 40 years to lose a reelection bid and many voters say they kicked her out of office because she was soft on crime.
“Eric Adams has been talking about public safety, not only on the campaign trail, but for the first year. I showed up at crime scenes. I knew what New Yorkers were saying. And I saw it all over the country,” Mayor Adams said about himself during a CNN interview. “I think, if anything, it is really stating that this is what I have been talking about. America, we have to be safe.”
Since those comments, conservatives all over social media noted that Mayor Adams appears to be leaning right. One user tweeted: “Interesting that Eric Adams, NY Mayor, is starting to sound like a Republican since Lori Lightfoot lost.”
Interesting that Eric Adams, NY Mayor, is starting to sound like a Republican since Lori Lightfoot lost. pic.twitter.com/S9OTzIpfiF
— Tony Moore (@BoompsNC) March 6, 2023
But this isn’t the first time Mayor Adams has been called out by Republicans and Democrats alike for having conservative tendencies.
Just last week, Adams promoted prayer in public schools when he said: “When we took prayers out of schools, guns came into schools. Don’t tell me about no separation of church and state. State is the body. Church is the heart.” FISM News reported on this after he made the comments at the New York Public Library interfaith breakfast.
Lib NYC Mayor Eric Adams SHOCKS with pro-God rant in deep-blue New York🙏
"When we took prayers out of schools, guns came into schools…. Don't tell me about no separation of church and state. State is the body. Church is the heart."
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) March 2, 2023
Mayor Adams, a professing Christian, went on to say that he cannot separate his religious beliefs from the office of mayor. “When I walk, I walk with God,” he said. “When I talk, I talk with God.” Adams also said when he puts policies in place, he puts them in “with a God-like approach.”
Melanie D’Arrigo, a former New York Congressional candidate, didn’t seem to be surprised by Mayor Adams’s words and implied he was a closet conservative. She tweeted: “Republicans run as conservative Democrats in Blue areas because they can’t win as Republicans. No Democrat should be shocked at anything Mayor Adams says.”
Republicans run as conservative Democrats in Blue areas because they can’t win as Republicans.
No Democrat should be shocked at anything Mayor Adams says. https://t.co/YtJpbqvEvL
— Melanie D'Arrigo (@DarrigoMelanie) March 2, 2023
Two-thirds of voters (66%) in New York City think crime is a very serious problem according to a Quinnipiac University poll released this February. The number is down from 7% last February, but that isn’t necessarily a good thing for Mayor Adams.
The same survey shows 37% of registered voters in the city approved of the job that Adams is doing as mayor, but 43% disapprove. That’s a big change from the May poll that showed the numbers reversed with Mayor Adams having a 43% approval rating and a 37% disapproval rating.