Eric Adams’ Administration Demonstrates An Investment In An Anti-Black System

mayor eric adams
Via Wikimedia Commons
Zain Murdock
July 18, 2024

After being brutally beaten by police at 15, Eric Adams joined the force with an “aggressive mindset of reform.” He marched at protests, co-founded a Black officer reform group, and denounced stop-and-frisk. To him, the uniform symbolized hate, exploitation, and lynching. He vowed to change that. So, after becoming mayor of New York City, why is anti-Black police violence prevalent under Adams’ administration?

Police complaints from citizens have peaked since 2012. Stop-and-frisk is on the rise. Senior NYPD officials attacked city council members and protesters online with right-wing rhetoric. Officers wear morale patches with white supremacist iconography.

In 2016, Adams called out Black officers for buying into policing’s violent culture instead of changing it. “When you protect and serve your community you’re not selling out,” he said. But whether you call it selling out or not, the harmful impact of his ascent to power reflects a pattern in recent Black mayors.

Andre Dickens and Keisha Lance Bottoms ushered in Cop City in Atlanta. Lori Lightfoot ran on a platform of police reform before protecting Chicago cops in a cover-up. Occupying recent news for suggesting a ban on masks at protests, Karen Bass is expanding L.A.’s police force.

When Black leadership is deeply invested in the legitimacy of systems that kill us, how much change can we expect? Why not invest in possibilities for Black safety beyond these systems?

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