How Black leaders in New York are grappling with Eric Adams and representation

Faith leaders and other supporters pray over New York City Mayor Eric Adams, center

By Aaron Morrison and Matt Brown

Oct. 3, 2024 10:16 AM PT

NEW YORK — It wasn’t a shock to many Black New Yorkers that Mayor Eric Adams has surrounded himself with African American civil rights leaders, clergy and grassroots activists since his indictment last week on federal bribery charges.

Adams, a Brooklyn native who rose from the city’s working class to its highest political office, is seen as more than the city’s second Black mayor. To many, he’s family.

“Four more years!” chanted a sizable group of Black clergy leaders that had gathered to pray for the mayor outside City Hall on Tuesday evening.

“What I want in your prayer is to continue to lift me up, and this administration, with the strength to move forward,” Adams said to the group.

“This is what we fought for and many of you were part of the campaign,” the mayor said about when he was elected.

But even the closest of families feud. The five-count indictment has prompted loud calls for Adams’ resignation from Black New York activists, elected leaders and residents. It’s also sparked debates about whether to stand behind a controversial figure who, for many, represents a milestone for Black representation in government.

Adams’ actions have precedent in Black political history; a child raised in the community who rose to the highest echelons of leadership, then faced legal troubles for potential improper conduct, and later returned to voters for support.

Nearly two years ago, New York voters elected Black leaders to a historic number of local and statewide offices. Some Black leaders now fear that Adams’ indictment may tarnish the broader political representation that was achieved. That has led many to grapple with newfound representation and the potential loss of it, while also holding folks accountable to the communities they represent.

“I think that as we achieve power, we ought to make sure we handle it in a way that protects the people that helped you achieve it,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton, president and CEO of the National Action Network. “But we also shouldn’t rush and throw everybody under the bus because of accusations.”

Sharpton, who has known Adams for more than 35 years and counts him as one of the earliest supporters of his civil rights organization, told the Associated Press on Friday that he has “never known him to do anything criminal.”

Federal prosecutors have accused Adams of soliciting and accepting illegal campaign contributions and more than $100,000 in luxury travel perks from Turkish officials and other foreign nationals seeking to buy his influence.

In exchange, they say he performed official favors that benefited Turkey, including pushing through the opening of a consulate building in Manhattan over the objections of fire safety officials who said it was unsafe to occupy.

The charges against Adams come as federal investigators conduct multiple probes linked to several top officials in his administration, including the brother of his former police commissioner; a consulting firm run by another brother of his schools chancellor and deputy mayor for public safety; and one of his top advisors and closest confidantes, Tim Pearson.

Pearson resigned Monday night, weeks after the police commissioner, Edward Caban, and schools chancellor, David Banks, announced they were stepping down. All have denied wrongdoing.

The U.S. attorney who brought the case against Adams, Damian Williams, is also Black.

Michael Blake, a former New York assemblymember and vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, said that the Adams indictment was “a reflective moment” for Black communities in New York and the Black political class that brought Adams to power.

“This cannot be the standard,” Blake said. He said the sentiment among elected officials he’d spoken with “is that this is chaotic and unsustainable” and “embarrassing.”

Regardless of the result of the criminal prosecution against Adams, Blake said, “I feel pretty confident that come January 1st, 2026, Eric Adams is not going to be the mayor of New York City.”

The former assemblymember is considering a run for New York City mayor.

Whether Adams should be encouraged to resign is a matter widely debated among Black leaders. Sharpton said he planned to discuss it soon with other top Black leaders in New York. The reverend has previously convened Adams, New York’s attorney general, lieutenant governor, City Council speaker, the Manhattan and Bronx district attorneys, all of whom are Black, to celebrate the historic representation across state and local government.

The meeting was called last December, in part, because of the perception that Democrats had lost power in the midterm election amid an increase in crime. Sharpton said he would not make a decision on whether to call for Adams’ resignation without meeting again with that esteemed group.

“We may feel he’s innocent, but can’t run the city. We may feel he’s innocent and can run the city. We may feel he’s guilty,” Sharpton said. “We need to talk.”

But some are not waiting for Sharpton’s meeting.

“I ask the mayor to seriously and honestly consider whether full attention can be given to our deserving New Yorkers who need our government to be sound and stable,” said New York City Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams, who is Black and is of no relation to the mayor.

Last week, she called the charges against the mayor “serious” and said that she was “deeply concerned” about the impact of Adams’ legal battle on the city’s governance.

She’s not alone.

“Each New Yorker deserves a mayor who is dedicated to serving our communities, and who upholds the dignity and integrity this office requires,” New York state Sen. Zellnor Myrie said. He called the indictment a “sad day for the city, and especially painful for so many Black New Yorkers who put our hope and faith in this mayor.”

Still, there are plenty who are defending the mayor.

“I was a little shocked and didn’t understand why all of this was happening, quite frankly, to these heroes of ours. And the response that we got from many Black constituents asked, ‘Why is the government coming after Black folks’,” said New York Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, who represents parts of Brooklyn and serves as the chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party.

“We all know that an indictment is not a conviction,” said Bichotte Hermelyn. She quoted the adage, first spoken by a New York state chief judge, that prosecutors “can indict a ham sandwich.”

“Adams represents a big political and empowered working class of Black neighborhoods, which is the foundation of his electorate,” Bichotte Hermelyn said. “When he ran in 2021, it was a very grassroot approach where people of color from all over, immigrants, women,” and others came together.

In the meantime, Adams said he is listening to residents who want him to resist the calls to resign, even if some of his fellow Black leaders are waffling in their support.

“Eric, stay the course,” the mayor said of social media messages and email he has received since his indictment. “Don’t be distracted.”

Morrison and Brown write for the Associated Press. Morrison reported from New York. Brown reported from Washington.