New York City mayor Eric Adams (D-NYC) is calling out anti-police progressives, claiming they “hijacked” the Democratic Party.
On Wednesday, Adams accused woke Democrats of pushing away minority voters, saying that his party is no longer the party he first joined.
“There’s a hemorrhaging of our Latino community, our AAPI communities, that’s leaving the traditional Democratic base because we’ve allowed the loudest and those who consider themselves to be ‘woke.’” Adams said during an interview on MSNBC.
Then on Thursday, the mayor criticized “woke activists” who are taking over the Democratic Party by pushing an anti-police agenda.
"Right here in this city, we have a group that is calling for removing members of their caucus if they don’t sign a pledge to defund the police,” Adams said during an interview on CNN. “That is not who we are as Democrats, and I’m going to continue to stand and state that we are pro-public safety, and we’re pro-proper policing.”
Adams was referring to the Council’s Progressive Caucus, which is currently undergoing an effort to defund the police.
According to the Daily News, the caucus required its 35 members to sign a “Statement of Principles” to stay in the group, which includes a pledge to “do everything we can to reduce the size and scope of the NYPD.”
In response, Adams said that he will not stand for defunding the police. Instead, he vows to bring growth and jobs to the city.
“What has happened in this country, the numerical minority, they have hijacked the term progressive… I have been progressive all my life,” Adams said, adding “you look at the issues I’ve fought for — from police reform, housing, education — but we’ve allowed a small number that is the loudest and they’ve hijacked the true meaning of the Democratic Party. We are not for defunding the police, we’re not for attacking businesses. We’re for jobs, we’re for growth.”
However, several Democrats didn’t like what Adams had to say, such as Tony Melone, a spokesman for the New Kings Democrats, who criticized the mayor for sounding like a Republican.
“Perhaps the Democratic mayor of NYC shouldn’t amplify Republican talking points on national TV?” Melone wrote on Twitter.
Adams, a former NYPD, has been outspoken in his efforts to protect the residents of New York City, hitting back at any calls to defund law enforcement.