The Caribbean community in New York has expressed mixed reactions to the indictment of New York (NY) City Mayor Eric Adams on federal bribery and campaign finance offenses.
Damian Williams, the Jamaican American United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, James E Dennehy, the assistant director in charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Jocelyn E Strauber, the commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI), announced on Thursday the unsealing of the indictment charging Adams, 64, with bribery, campaign finance, and conspiracy offenses.
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“My opinion on the mayor’s indictment is that it’s a serious blow to his mayoralty and the Black American legacy,” Delroy Wright, the Jamaican-born, long-standing, pre-eminent community leader and entrepreneur in Flatbush said.
“However, I believe his cry that he was targeted. I also believe he puts the bullseye on his own back. He did so when he made comments calling out the president (Joe Biden) on the immigrant issues.
“I believe he has a legitimate cause in calling for help from Washington to provide more resources to the city to mitigate the immigrants’ crisis, but he erred in criticizing Biden personally for lack thereof,” Wright said.
“Now the legal process starts. The constitution is now in play, for which ‘you are innocent until proven guilty’. This begs the question: Is the judicial system a perfect one? Well, let me put that question in perspective.
“Mayor Adams is a Black man and the mayor of the most powerful city in America. So was Marcus Garvey (the late Jamaican-born nationalist leader). He was a Black leader of one of the most powerful organizations in America. The Central Park Five were Black and Latino. Plus, we are aware of the need for the NY State Justice Task Force, among similar organizations,” Wright said.
Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the predominantly Caribbean 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, said that Thursday marked “a solemn chapter in the history of New York City”.
“In time, Mayor Adams will confront a jury of his peers. As we ready for their verdict, we must not fail to remember that every American, from working people to public officials, is entitled to the presumption of their innocence when accused of wrongdoing. And so, I pray the mayor faces a fair trial, and I pray its judgment is centered in justice,” she said.
“New Yorkers are defined by our resilience and ability to persevere through any obstacle that has come our way. I am certain that, like all the rest, this too shall pass.”
United States (US) House of Representatives Democratic Leader, Hakeem Jeffries, whose 8th Congressional District in Brooklyn and Queens constitutes large concentrations of Caribbean immigrants, said the indictment of a sitting mayor is “a serious and sober moment for New York City”.
“Like every other New Yorker and American, Eric Adams is entitled to the presumption of innocence. That principle is central to the administration of justice in the United States of America.
“A jury of the mayor’s peers will now evaluate the charges in the indictment and ultimately render a determination. In the meantime, I pray for the well-being of our great city,” Jeffries added.
But New York City Council Members Crystal Hudson and Chris Banks, and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso urged Adams to resign immediately.
“The more than eight million New Yorkers in our city need a leader who can focus on building housing, cleaning our streets, educating our children, and keeping our communities safe,” said Hudson, representative for the 35th Council District in Brooklyn, who traces her roots to Jamaica.
“This mayor will have only one focus as this indictment plays out, one that will single-handedly inhibit his ability to govern,” added Hudson, whose district encompasses the neighborhoods of Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Clinton Hill, and Fort Greene. “We deserve better. He must resign immediately.”
Banks, the son of a Trinidadian immigrant mother, represents the 42nd Council District in Brooklyn, including the communities of East New York, Starrett City, Brownsville, Canarsie, Remsen Village, and East Flatbush.
He said the charges outlined in the indictment of Mayor Adams are “hugely disappointing, troubling, and extremely concerning”.
“As this comes on the heels of additional device confiscations this morning, recent raids and investigations of several high-level representatives of the administration, and the recent resignations of several commissioners and senior staff in the Adams administration, we are watching a true tragedy play out in real-time,” Banks said.
“As a government official, our first responsibility is to earn and secure the public’s trust. While we are all innocent until proven guilty, the five counts outlined in this indictment represent a serious violation of the public trust of New Yorkers.
“As such, I have no confidence in the mayor’s ability to effectively run City government while addressing the charges against him, and I strongly believe that in the best interest of the city, Mayor Adams should resign,” Banks said.
Reynoso, the son of Dominican Republic immigrants, described the accusations against Mayor Adams as “serious, substantial, and pervasive”.
“He’s going to need to put every ounce of his being into protecting himself from these charges at a time when every ounce of his being should be going to the protection of the people of New York City,” he said.
“The mayor cannot lead this city, nor can he, in good faith, ask the public to put their trust in him,” Reynoso added. “I ask the mayor to put New Yorkers first and resign.”
Williams, the son of a Jamaican-born physician said, “as alleged, Mayor Adams abused his position as this city’s highest elected official, and before that as Brooklyn Borough President, to take bribes and solicit illegal campaign contributions.
“By allegedly taking improper and illegal benefits from foreign nationals, including allowing a Manhattan skyscraper to open without a fire inspection, Adams put the interests of his benefactors, including a foreign official, above those of his constituents,” he said.
The indictment states that, in 2014, Adams, who was elected Brooklyn Borough President after that “sought and accepted improper valuable benefits such as luxury international travel including from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish government official seeking to gain influence over him”.
“By 2018, Adams, who had by then made known his plans to run for Mayor of New York City, not only accepted but sought illegal campaign contributions to his 2021 mayoral campaign from foreign nationals, as well as other things of value.
“As Adams’s prominence and power grew, his foreign-national benefactors sought to cash in on their corrupt relationships with him, particularly when it became clear that Adams would become New York City’s mayor in 2021. Adams agreed, providing favorable treatment in exchange for the illicit benefits he received, according to the indictment.
After his inauguration as Mayor of New York City, the indictment states that Adams soon began preparing for his next election, “including by planning to solicit more illegal contributions and granting requests from those who supported his 2021 mayoral campaign with such donations”.
“Adams sought and accepted illegal campaign contributions in the form of ‘nominee’ or ‘straw’ contributions, meaning that the true contributors conveyed their money through nominal donors, who falsely certified they were contributing their own money,” the indictment added.
The indictment states that wealthy individuals evaded laws designed to limit their power over elected officials by restricting the amount anyone can donate to a candidate.
Adams is charged with one count of conspiracy to receive campaign contributions from foreign nationals and commit wire fraud and bribery, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; two counts of soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals, which each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison; and one count of soliciting and accepting a bribe, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
“We are not surprised. We expected this. This is unsurprising to us: the actions that have unfolded over the last 10 months, the leaks, the commentary, the demonizing,” Adams told a news conference, urging the public to “wait to hear our side to this narrative”. (CMC)
