Is Eric Adams racist? NYC mayor apologizes after video of him calling cops 'crackers' resurfaces
New York City's new Mayor Eric Adams found himself at the center of a racism controversy in February 2022, after an old video of him resurfaced. In what appears to be a racist attack, Adams is heard calling White police officers "crackers". The viral video has led to widespread condemnation of Adams and hours later an apology from him. However, it appears that not everyone's angry, with some police unions still backing Adams.
Adams is now the latest in a long line of politicians to be accused of racism. On January 19, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell caused massive controversy after hinting that African-Americans weren't American. President Joe Biden too has been accused of racism on multiple occasions, most recently for saying he wanted a Black woman as his Supreme Court nominee. Allegations of racism aren't just limited to those on the national stage, we've also reported extensively on racist allegations from local politicians and school board members.
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So far, Adams managed to avoid that, but social media can be an extremely unforgivable place. The video appears to be about three years old when Adams was the Brooklyn Borough President and well before he announced his candidacy for Mayor of the city.
Is Eric Adams a racist?
The video was taken at a private event in Harlem on December 13, 2019. It starts with Adams saying, "Every day in the police department, I kicked those crackers’ ass. Man, I was unbelievable in the police department with 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement." The "crackers" term is believed to have been targeted towards White police officers. The entire video is about two minutes long where Adams also jokes about a potential run for Mayor. "They know what I am about," he proclaims while also laying out some policy ideas.
In response to the widespread outrage, Adams was forced to apologize during a press conference on February 4, three days after the video was first uploaded by Thomas Lopez-Pierre. "I definitely apologize. Inappropriate, inappropriate comments, should not have been used. Someone asked me a question using that comment and playing on that word. I responded in that comment, but clearly, these comments should not have been used, and I apologize not only to those who heard it but to New Yorkers because they should expect more from me. That was inappropriate."
The real @NYCMayor Eric Adams: “Everyday in the police department, I kicked those cracker’s ass.” @NYPDnews. Black people can trust @ericadamsfornyc to make sure Black businesses get Billions of Dollars in NYC Contracts @NYCMWBE. 2019 video: Harlem Business Alliance @HBANY event. pic.twitter.com/d90E6QYE69
— Thomas Lopez-Pierre (@VoteLopezPierre) February 1, 2022
Police unions have also backed the embattled Mayor, while some cops have revealed they felt "attacked." In a statement, the Police Benevolent Association said, "Whenever a controversial video of a police officer surfaces online, we ask for fairness instead of a rush to outrage. We will apply the same standard here... A few seconds of video will not define our relationship." The Detectives Endowment Association has also refused to slam Adams, saying, "Something seen in a short video on social media should not be used to judge an incident in its entirety... Mayor Adams has expressed his regrets. We will hold him to his word."
Online though, there was plenty of outrage. Many users called on Adams to resign, while others slammed him as racist. However, it appears the outrage is limited to social media, given the response of the police unions.