Involuntary Commitment Changes, Clean Public Spaces, Budget Delivers For New Yorkers, Meeting With President Trump, Hear From The Mayor
Involuntary Commitment Changes, Clean Public Spaces, Budget Delivers For New Yorkers, Meeting With President Trump, Hear From The Mayor
MAYOR ADAMS’ STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO AMENDMENTS RELATED TO INVOLUNTARY COMMITMENT IN STATE BUDGET AGREEMENT
Following Years of Mayor Adams’ Advocacy, Albany Lawmakers Have Voted to Reform New York State’s Involuntary Commitment Law
Represents Step in Right Direction to Help People Experiencing Untreated Severe Mental Illness
NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released the following statement in response to Albany lawmakers’ passage of amendments to state involuntary commitment law in the New York state budget:
“There has been a lot of debate recently about how to address the severe mental illness crisis playing out on our streets and in our subways, and I have always said the days of ignoring people in need of help were over. While rare, we continue to experience unacceptable random attacks committed by people who desperately need help.
“In the second month of our administration, we announced our ‘Subway Safety Plan’ to address unsheltered homelessness. Later that year, we released a major policy shift for the city that expanded our work to get people involuntary help.
“I was one of the first — and loudest — voices to call for wider use of involuntary removals and commitments, when appropriate, to help people get help when they don’t recognize their own need for it. At the time, our directive was portrayed as controversial. Many critics — some of whom are now supporters today — even said it was ‘deeply problematic’ and an ‘overreach.’ I wasn’t afraid to do the right thing then, and I have not stopped advocating for change to state law, while still directing our city agencies to do what we can on the city level to address this issue because I know it is the right and compassionate thing to do.
“Now, three years later, while we’re not done, I am proud to announce that our advocacy has paid off. The state budget adopts many of our requests to reform involuntary commitment laws and fill the cracks in the system. Here’s how — our clinicians have told us that the law previously was unclear on who they could transport to hospitals for evaluation and led to too many quick discharges of those transported. Now, the state has heard our calls to clarify that inability to meet basic needs is a form of danger to self. This will allow so many others to get help and give clarity to those on the ground making these life-saving decisions. These new amendments also require hospitals to work more closely with outpatient providers, give more decision-making authority to psychiatric nurse practitioners in our hospitals, empower families to get their loved ones involuntary help, and improve assisted outpatient care to close the gaps in the system that prevent people from getting lasting treatment.
“This is a huge step in the right direction, and it can’t be understated just how miraculous it is that we are here today from where we were back when we took office in 2022.
“For the last three years, we have made great strides. Since the launch of our ‘Subway Safety Plan,’ over 8,400 New Yorkers have been connected to shelter and over 840 are now in permanent affordable housing. We’ve launched new outreach programs, like SCOUT and PATH, to reach the hardest to reach New Yorkers. And in the nine months since launching PATH alone, we have had over 13,500 contacts with unhoused New Yorkers and provided services nearly 4,000 times. We’ve opened 1,400 Safe Haven and stabilization beds, and invested in a $650 million homelessness and mental health plan that will give patients a place to go to continue their treatment after being discharged from the hospital.
“Let me be clear, there is more work to be done. We did not get everything we wanted from Albany, such as, empowering more clinical staff to conduct involuntary removals and make admission decisions, recognizing a risk of psychiatric harm as grounds for involuntary hospital care, requiring hospitals to screen all psychiatric patients for assisted outpatient treatment, and requiring doctors performing evaluations to consider broader context and not just how someone is behaving in the moment, so we will be back again to continue fighting for these reforms next year. But today is a good day, and I thank Governor Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Heastie, as well as so many of the business leaders, advocates, doctors, and family members who have partnered with us to get this done.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams hosts interfaith leaders to denounce the antisemitic murders of two Israeli embassy workers last night in Washington, D.C., at the Center for Jewish History in Manhattan on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
MAYOR ADAMS ESTABLISHES HISTORIC LEVELS OF PERMANENT DSNY FUNDING FOR CLEAN PUBLIC SPACES AS PART OF “BEST BUDGET EVER,” EXPANDS “SECOND SHIFT” PROGRAM TO CLEAN NYC PARKS DURING EVENING HOURS AND ON WEEKENDS
Mayor Adams Baselines Over $32 Million Annually to Keep New York City Clean
Investment Includes Highest Level of Permanent Funding for Litter Basket Pick-Ups in City History, Reaching $31 Million in FY 2028
Mayor Adams Celebrates Expansion of “Second Shift,” Providing Dedicated Staff to Clean NYC Parks During Evening, Weekend Hours
Follows Mayor Adams’ “Budget Week,” Unveiling “Best Budget Ever,” Which Invests in Affordability, Public Safety, and Quality-of-Life Issues New Yorkers Care Most About
NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today committed over $32 million in permanent funding for the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to keep New York City clean as part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Executive Budget, better known as the “Best Budget Ever.” This decision permanently allocates resources to key aspects of Mayor Adams’ cleanliness agenda for years to come. Historically, key cleanliness programs like litter basket service have been set year-to-year, with funding facing threats and uncertainty each year, but with this allocation, the Adams administration is establishing permanent high levels of funding to protect the cleanliness and quality of life of city neighborhoods for generations to come.
Mayor Adams also celebrated the expansion of the second shift of evening and weekend staff at dozens of New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) locations. First announced during his fourth State of the City address earlier this year, funded in the FY 2026 Preliminary Budget, and building on his recent announcement that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) has created a new Quality of Life Division, the Adams administration has added a second cleaning shift to 100 new “hot spots” in 64 parks across the five boroughs — bringing the total number of hot spots with seconds shift cleaning to 200 at 121 parks — ensuring these parks are cleaned each afternoon between Thursday and Monday. As part of the second shift, NYC Parks staff will also keep restrooms open, on average, for an additional two hours each day, five days a week. This investment doubles the number of locations serviced by a second cleaning shift as part of the FY 2025 Adopted Budget and will help allow more families to enjoy safe, clean, accessible parks.
“Today, we are making life in New York City cleaner and safer,” said Mayor Adams. “As part of our ‘Best Budget Ever,’ we have baselined over $32 million in funding to keep New York City clean, and this includes the highest level of permanent funding for litter basket pick-ups in our city’s history. In addition to our streets, our parks are critical to the fabric of our neighborhoods and to the families who live in those communities, so with this announcement, we’re also deepening our commitment to improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers by shifting our parks maintenance up a gear and expanding our ‘second shift’ evening and weekend park cleaning teams and nearly doubling the number of parks that will receive this intensive cleaning. New Yorkers deserve clean streets and parks, and this investment is yet another way we’re making New York City the best place to raise a family.”
“One of our most important missions as public servants must be to show New Yorkers that we care for every community — that every street and every park are attended to and clean,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Jeff Roth. “This budget helps us achieve that — with new staff to clean park hotspots so that bathrooms and heavily-trafficked areas are clean for morning runners and evening grillers alike, and the highest level of permanent funding for litter basket pickups in history. This is government doing its job: Making life better for everyone.”
“DSNY serves every part of the city, and in my 26 years at the department, I’ve seen thousands of Sanitation workers take pride in a clean street,” said DSNY Acting Commissioner Javier Lojan. “New Yorkers deserve clean streets day after day, year after year — and cleanliness shouldn’t be held hostage to annual one-shot funding. An end to those days can’t come soon enough, and I want to thank Mayor Adams for giving New York’s Strongest the tools we need to make the city shine.”
“Clean, well-maintained parks make communities safer and enhance quality of life for all New Yorkers. That’s why it’s so important that we’re adding additional evening and weekend maintenance staff to address litter and restroom cleanliness, ensuring that 200 park hotspots are kept clean during the busiest hours,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “We’re grateful to the administration for funding dedicated evening and weekend peak-hour cleaning staff for the first time in our history, and for making clean and welcoming greenspaces a top priority.”
The second shift was first announced by Mayor Adams in November 2022 as part of the “Get Stuff Clean” initiative, which dedicated $14.5 million in new funding to multiple agencies to create a cleaner city through a major upgrade to cleanliness protocols across the five boroughs. Traditionally, dedicated NYC Parks staff have cleaned parks during the first shift, Monday to Friday, in the mornings and in afternoons, with late afternoon and weekend maintenance achieved through the use of overtime and the work of seasonal and part-time staff. The new, permanent second shift created under the Adams administration represents the first full-time dedicated staff for evening and weekend peak hours in the history of the department.
New Yorkers across all five boroughs will enjoy “second shift” workers. These parks include:
- Claremont Park, Crotona Park, Macombs Dam Park, Soundview Park, and St. Mary’s Park in the Bronx.
- Canarsie Park, Commodore Barry Park, Marine Park, Prospect Park, and Sunset Park in Brooklyn.
- East River Park, Highbridge Park, Marcus Garvey, Morningside Park, and Tompkins Square Park in Manhattan.
- Highland Park, Hunters Point South, Kissena Park, Rockaway Beach, and Roy Wilkins Park in Queens.
- Clove Lakes Park, Fairview Park, Silver Lake Park, Willowbrook Park, and Wolfe’s Pond Park on Staten Island.
Today’s announcement on baselined funding for cleanliness initiatives includes $29.7 million in FY 2026, growing to $31 million in FY 2028, to continue the current level of litter basket pick-ups citywide annually. This is the highest baselined level of funding for litter basket service in history as basket service has often been negotiated year-to-year at the last minute, with funding reductions leading directly to more overflowing baskets and more rats.
The DSNY Lot Cleaning Unit, responsible for maintenance of city-owned or maintained vacant lots, is now baselined at $820,000 for FY 2026, growing to $1.6 million in FY 2029, preventing these areas from becoming eyesores and attracting pests.
Further, the Targeted Neighborhood Task Force is baselined at $3.6 million, growing to $6.3 million annually in FY 2029. This funding will support almost 60 employees who provide regularly scheduled cleaning of often neglected pedestrian spaces where DSNY did not have jurisdiction, like underpasses, greenways, and step streets. Through this program, over 1,500 locations across the city are receiving regular, scheduled cleaning for the first time.
Additionally, today’s announcement also baselines $1.4 million to support 18 DSNY positions dedicated to cleaning park perimeters — part of Mayor Adams’ “Get Stuff Clean” initiative — that will now continue permanently. Finally, this initiative also includes $1.1 million in permanent funding for DSNY’s Precision Cleaning Initiative, which provides targeted cleaning to high-need areas and assists with Mayor Adams’ interagency homeless encampment taskforce.
This commitment to long-term funding is one of many parts of the Adams administration’s ‘Trash Revolution,’ which aims to permanently end the dominance of trash and rats on city streets:
- In October 2022, the Adams administration kicked off the Trash Revolution by changing set-out times for both residential and commercial waste from 4:00 PM — one of the earliest set-out times in the country — to 8:00 PM in April 2023, while also allowing earlier set-out if the material is in a container. This incentivization of containerization was paired with major changes to DSNY operations, picking up well over a quarter of all trash at 12:00 AM rather than 6:00 AM, particularly in high density parts of the city, and ending a practice by which up to one-fifth of trash had been purposefully left out for a full day.
- Later that month, DSNY published the “Future of Trash” report, the first meaningful attempt to study containerization models in New York City, and the playbook to get it done.
- In August 2023, containerization requirements went into effect for all food-related businesses in New York City. These businesses — restaurants, delis, bodegas, bars, grocery stores, caterers, and more — produce an outsized amount of the type of trash that attracts rats.
- That same month, installation of the initial 10-block, 14-school Manhattan Community Board 9 pilot containers began.
- In September 2023, commercial containerization requirements extended to chain businesses of any type with five or more locations in New York City. These chain businesses tend to produce a large total volume of trash.
- In February 2024, Mayor Adams unveiled a new, automated, side-loading garbage truck and a new data-driven containerization strategy, affirming a commitment from Mayor Adams’ 2024 State of the City address to set New York City on the course to store all trash put out for pickup in containers. This truck was unveiled four years earlier than industry experts thought possible.
- On March 1, 2024, container requirements went into effect for all businesses — of every type — in New York City to get their trash off the streets and into a secure bin.
- On November 12, 2024, container requirements went into effect for low-density residential buildings — those with one to nine units — containerizing approximately 70 percent of all trash in the city.
- Last month, installation of Empire Bins — stationary on-street containers — began in Manhattan Community Board 9 for the first full-district containerization pilot, serviced by new, automated side-loading trucks. This will make West Harlem the first fully-containerized area using on-street containers in North America.
Mayor Adams’ “Best Budget Ever” — the balanced, $115.1 billion FY 2026 Executive Budget makes new investments safer, more affordable city that is the best place to raise a family. Through strong fiscal management, the Adams administration has, once again, set the table for strategic investments that protect funding for critical services, invests in public safety by allocating funding for key criminal justice reform programs, and puts the NYPD on track to reach a uniformed headcount of up to 35,000 officers by the fall of 2026. Additionally, this budget increases affordability by building more affordable housing, fulfilling massive generational projects, and expanding educational opportunities like early childhood education and universal after-school for New York City’s children and their families, among other initiatives, all while maintaining record-high reserves and ensuring a strong fiscal future for the City of New York.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams hosts a reception to kick off Fleet Week and make a veterans-related announcement as he continues “Veterans and Service Members Week” at Gracie Mansion on Thursday, May 22 2025. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
MAYOR ADAMS’ STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO PRODUCTIVE NEW YORK STATE BUDGET AGREEMENT DELIVERING ON NYC’S PRIORITIES
Adams Administration’s Albany Agenda Once-Again Victorious as State Leaders Pass Mayor Adams’ Priorities on Affordability, Public Safety, Involuntary Commitments, Discovery Reform
NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released the following statement in response to the $254 billion Fiscal Year 2026 state budget agreement reached by New York Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York state Legislature:
“Every day, we are delivering New Yorkers a safer, more affordable city that is the best place to raise a family as we drive down crime and build record levels of affordable housing. But we cannot do it alone, and that is why we have continued to advance proposals in Albany that have the support of New Yorkers, and that, year after year, have proven to be winners.
“We were pleased that very early on in this process, there was support for many of our proposals; this includes, ‘Axe the Tax for the Working Class,’ which will eliminate and cut city personal income taxes for over half a million working-class New Yorkers and their dependents and put $63 million back into their pockets. At a time when our state faces a historic affordability crisis, we thank Governor Hochul for first putting this in her budget in January and for working with the Legislature to ensure its passage.
“Our administration has been clear that public safety and justice are the pre-requisites to prosperity. And that’s why, for three years, our administration has publicly called for and urged the state to take action that will make it easier for the city to help those suffering from severe mental illness, even in cases when an individual does not recognize that they need assistance. I was one of the first — and loudest — voices to call for wider use of involuntary removals and commitments, when appropriate, to help people get help when they don’t recognize their own need for it. Now, while we’re not done, I am proud to announce that our advocacy has paid off. While we are encouraged that Albany has taken a step in the right direction, our partners in the Legislature know there is much more that must be done to truly tackle the mental health crisis we all can see on the streets and on our subways. We plan to be back again throughout this legislative session, and next year, if necessary — for the fourth year in a row — advocating for further reforms that build on the progress on this issue because we know that’s what New Yorkers want and are desperately asking to be passed.
“Our court system is a crucial piece of the public safety apparatus, but for too long, well-intentioned reforms got in the way of prosecutors’ ability to do their jobs. We have been clear that we must make changes to the criminal justice system to prevent repeat offenders from doing further harm to our communities. We have pushed — alongside the five district attorneys representing New York City — for discovery reform to preserve the best parts of the 2019 reforms while reducing undue burdens on our prosecutors. We are supportive of the measures taken to address these issues and are hopeful that they will result in a reduction of unnecessary dismissals, speed up criminal cases, and ensure greater protection for witnesses, while achieving swift and fair justice for all parties. We are hopeful that these updates will help keep recidivists from repeatedly endangering New Yorkers and support our mission of keeping our city safe.
“We appreciate Governor Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Heastie, and the Legislature for hearing us out and collaborating with us to ultimately reach consensus around our key priorities, and we look forward to working throughout the remainder of the legislative session to push additional priorities New Yorkers are counting on us to deliver for them.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams delivers remarks at a vigil for the victims of the Cuauhtémoc Mexican naval vessel that crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge this past Saturday night, on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
MAYOR ADAMS’ STATEMENT FOLLOWING MEETING WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP
NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released the following statement following a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss New York City’s priorities:
“New Yorkers elected me to fight for them and their families, and every single day, our administration works to make our city better and to uphold our indisputable title as the greatest city in the world.
“As part of that mission, I met this afternoon with President Trump and members of his administration at the White House to discuss critical infrastructure projects, as well as the preservation of essential social services, among other topics.
“Our meeting was productive and laid a strong foundation for continued discussions about New York City’s top priorities and, in the coming weeks, I am hopeful our administrations will meet again to build on this progress. A good leader finds common ground to get things done, and that’s why I remain committed to working with this administration wherever collaboration helps make New York City the best place in the world to raise a family.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams delivers remarks at the Jewish Children’s Museum’s annual gala. Jewish Children’s Museum, 792 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY. Wednesday, May 21, 2025. Photo Credit: Benny Polatseck/Mayoral Photography Office
TRANSCRIPT: MAYOR ADAMS HOSTS “HEAR FROM THE MAYOR” RADIO SHOW
Gary Byrd: Well, each and every second Sunday of the month, WBLS is proud to welcome the 110th mayor of New York City, and the second mayor of color, and the first hip hop mayor in the city’s history. It’s time for us to hear from our mayor, Mayor Eric Adams, right here from 107.5 WBLS. Mr. Mayor, good morning, and welcome.
Mayor Eric Adams: Good morning, and great to be on, and Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there. You know, “I’ll Always Love My Mama,” A song I always remember. I want to welcome back everyone to another episode of Hear from the Mayor, and I’m your mayor, Eric Adams.
And if this is your first time tuning in, the purpose of the show is to do just that, just hear from you. Give feedback, unfiltered, share your thoughts, and whatever questions we can answer. Listeners should give me a call, and hear directly from your mayor. You can also sign up to hear from me by visiting nyc.gov/hearfromeric. You can sign up on your website to text with Eric and talk with me on WhatsApp.
And now, you can call in to 212-545-1075, 212-545-1075. And today, on Mother’s Day, we’re going to talk about a very important topic, an after-school program for our children, a universal “After-School for All,” building on our commitment of investing in children and working families. When you do an analysis of this administration, you will see that we focus on children and families so they could have a brighter future.
And “After-School for All” families is a game changer for households and for thousands of families across the city offering child care beyond the regular school day. And starting this school year, we’re going to be kicking off.
So I am really, really proud to have here in [Gracie Mansion] with us, the first Dominican deputy mayor, Deputy Mayor Ana Almanzar. And what I love about the D.M. is her family. I think it’s ten of you? You know, ten siblings or family, children from her mom and dad and just an amazing family.
And it’s really good to have you here as we talk about this program and how important it is, a safe space for children after school so parents can be comfortable to go on and do things in their lives as well. So can you just give me the framework of this program and how is it going to roll out?
Deputy Mayor Ana Almanzar, Strategic Initiatives: Absolutely. And thank you, mayor. And Happy Mother’s Day, as you said, to all the mothers out there. And it’s a great program for parents, indeed, as it is for children. The “After-School for All’ that you, mayor, had made such a significant investment in $195 million to right-size the program and $331 million as a whole to increase the program by 20,000 seats in three years.
The first year will add 5,000 seats. That is September coming up. And this is a program, mayor, that New York City parents can now have the assurance that their children will be spending time after school in a place that is safe, that is engaging intellectually, and also that is fun for the children in high quality throughout the entire city.
Mayor Adams: And so important, and it makes a difference in the lives of working parents and their children after-school. What can parents expect in terms of the type of activities, support, and safety? What can they expect if their child is enrolled in the program?
Deputy Mayor Almanzar: And it’s interesting, mayor, that you use the word safety as your logo, that public safety is a prerequisite for prosperity. And this program itself, the “After-School for All,” is another part of that plan, of that safety plan. But we have different activities for our children.
We have STEM, different sports, robotics, the arts, field trips, and more, including for those students that might need some enforcement in their academics, so they can have that assistant with homework there at the school if they choose to, but also to have a way for them to have that peer-to-peer connection, that social connection, that so many of our children lost during the pandemic, and now they are re-engaging and having those extra hours where they don’t have to be, per se, doing their homework, but they can actually interact with one another and have a social-emotional support.
Mayor Adams: Yeah, and that’s so important, something that’s talked about often in this administration. We constantly expect children to be academically smart, but emotional intelligence is crucial, and socialization is part of that. And the structured learning, and free time, and play time, I didn’t realize how much that is all part of the development of one’s brain, particularly when you’re a child.
And so having a child in some structured environment to get that educational support, do after-school programming, and learning how to communicate with each other is crucial. And so when you look at what we’re planning on doing with this after-school program, we’re expanding beyond the instruction hours of the school.
Now, how can parents give us feedback? How can they evaluate in the coming years, and how they share their feedback with us for future after-school services in their community?
Deputy Mayor Almanzar: Absolutely. They can do it in several ways, depending on how engaged they are with the school. They can do so through their parent-teacher conferences, but they also can go directly to the school and speak with the program directors, and those who are engaged in the after-school program.
And if not, they can also go to the local nonprofit that is serving that school, and also give us feedback. The way that we are expanding this program with the 5,000 seats this year, and 20,000 in the next two years to come, we’re also engaging with different providers and advocates throughout the entire system, individuals who have direct contact with the youth, and also with some young people to help us build a program that is best designed to serve them.
Because as an adult, we might think that we know what’s best for the students, but why not have the voice of the students design, help us design what’s to come for the future for the program at after-school?
Mayor Adams: And it’s really interesting when you combine this investment with what we invested already, that’s going to elevate us to a $755 million investment by the 2027 to 2028 school year. And a 78 percent increase in just three years are enormous numbers. And then when you add those numbers into just some of the other activities that we’re doing, the Summer Rising, the Summer Youth Employment, the Saturday Night Lights Basketball, tell us about some of those other programs we’re doing.
Deputy Mayor Almanzar: Impressive numbers, mayor. This year, we are aiming to serve the same number, if not a bit higher, for the Summer Rising. Last year, [there] were 110,000 children who were engaged in Summer Rising. This year, what we did was open the application system much earlier to allow families to be able to select where they would like their child to go.
Is it near their home, or is it near their work to have easy access? The same thing for the after-school program, early application process with 100,000 children that will be served. And we’re looking at specific demographics to make sure that it’s not just a lottery, but that we are doing so in a systematic way, serving those who need it the most, those children in NYCHA, those who are in foster care, those who are in supportive housing and shelters, that they have access to those services and be able to learn about a career path that they can pick up once they become an adult.
And if they choose to, they can come back next summer and the following summer until they graduate from high school and take advantage of that.
Mayor Adams: And when you look at it, for years, advocates and others were calling to increase the number of summer jobs over the summer. And we went from 75,000 to 100,000. Extremely impressive. When people talk about, what are we doing for youth? What are we doing for youth?
We’re answering that question because, as you mentioned, the Summer Rising Program, we all know about this well-kept secret of summer loss. Children go off for the summer. They don’t have any instructional learning. They come back with a deficit, particularly in Black and brown communities. And so what happens with the Summer Rising Program, that really helps close that gap?
Deputy Mayor Almanzar: Oh, the way that the YCD and the New York City Public School System, the Department of Education, has structured the program is that we spend X number of hours in the reinforcing of that academic portion of the program that you mentioned, mayor. Helping the students who might be in jeopardy or not being promoted, or who were promoted but might have some deficiencies in math or in reading.
Then they get that specific assistant with an instructor. To help them reinforce those skills. And then for the other part of the day, they have a non-academic engagement. That is art, that is sports. That also helps with the child, the intellectual development of the child. Because when you think about math, and you think about a basketball court, you have to know what’s the distance between the court, the hoop, and that’s how much I know about basketball. And where you are in order to be able to make the shot.
And same thing for baseball. For whatever sport they’re playing, math comes into play. And that’s what we’re doing in the Summer Rising, making sure that whatever the child is doing is tied to academics. That even if they might be doing arts, I visited one in Bushwick last year, where the teacher was doing “art.”
But she was teaching them about geography and geometry by helping the student design their neighborhood. Tell me where the bodega is. And then calculate the distance between your house and the bodega. So the kid was thinking about art, but the professor was thinking about mathematics.
Mayor Adams: Love that, love that. You know, when you think about it, we talk about how much the after-school program helps children, but what about parents? What could parents do, knowing that their child is in a safe space? How [does] it help them in their development?
Deputy Mayor Almanzar: Well, growing up in the Dominican Republic, we didn’t have access to an after-school program. And as you mentioned, my poor mother, with all of us, ten of us, she would have benefited from an after-school program. She would have had less gray hair, I can attest.
But the idea is to not only engage the student, but also to give the parents the peace of mind that their child’s going to be in an academically enrichment environment, that they’ll be safe, and that they will have a quality education.
And for the parents, it’s for them to be able to take that extra shift, or to know that their child’s gonna be at school until they get out of work, and they can come and pick them up, so they don’t have to leave work earlier, that they don’t have to make further arrangement to have an extra person pick them up, or perhaps have the child home alone, that we know, we all were young, and we know what kind of mischiefs we can do if we’re unsupervised.
Mayor Adams: You know, and that’s what I love about this team, particularly my deputy mayor is, you know, in order to help people who are going through a lot, you have to have gone through a lot. And we use our childhood, and growing up, and some of the challenges we face to assist us in crafting what policies we put in place.
And as you indicated, your family came here from the Dominican Republic, ten family members, your mom and dad. How does that shape how you approach this work that you do? Because your portfolio is so important.
Deputy Mayor Almanzar: Absolutely, and if you were to look at my academic performance, mayor, from kindergarten to high school, to 12th grade, and then my college transcript, and you compare the two, you would think that they’re two different people. And one, I went to school from [K-12th grade] in the Dominican Republic, and I went to college in America.
And even with the challenge of the language, I was able to perform astronomically much better in America than I did in the Dominican Republic. And that has to do with the assistance that I received, the tutoring, the access to resources, the access to other adults who were invested in my education. Back home, we have very limited resources.
And here, when I think about the work that I do, I think about the younger back home, or the younger here in Bushwick, my neighborhood, or Brownsville, or East New York, or Harlem, who might not have the resources at home, but what can we provide as a city to make their life better?
And that’s what I think about every morning when I wake up and I put my heels on and come to the office, is that this city, my story, can only be written in New York City. Nowhere else on the planet can a younger of 18 land in a country, not speak the language, go to a school, be able to access so many opportunities that by the grace of God, I have been given.
So whenever I think about my work, I think about that, that I was given so much that I can only dream that the work that I do allows for other young people to access the same opportunities that I had. I’ve been extremely blessed, I should say.
Mayor Adams: And then, you know, to elevate, to become the first Dominican deputy mayor in the largest and most important city in America. And that’s why when we did our budget, the Best Budget Ever, we did it from Bayside High School, my old school, where I struggled with dyslexia.
And now you see, because of those opportunities, you know, that undiagnosed dyslexia made me believe I couldn’t excel. But once I got the help that I needed to elevate, to be the mayor of this city. And I look at our team and it says a lot, and your work lives that out. You know, we wanna thank you. So we’re gonna take a break.
But remember, Mother’s Day, and on the other side of this break, we will answer calls to Deputy Mayor Almanzar or to the mayor. Look forward to you tuning in after the break. Please, if you’re near your phone, call in to 212-545-1075. See you after the break.
[Commercial Break.]
Byrd: The program is Hear from the Mayor. And the mayor wants to hear from you. We’re taking your calls right now at 212-545-1075. And now back to the mayor of New York City, our brother, Mayor Eric Adams.
Mayor Adams: Thanks so much, Gary. And we want to go to the phones. Callers, please. We want to get in as many calls as possible. So please give us, you know, a direct question. Caller, you’re in the air.
Question: Yes, good afternoon. This is [inaudible]. Now, on federal funding, because we’re a sanctuary city, can we guarantee that, you know, we won’t lose it because it’ll affect our schools and other things? Because he’s threatening federal funding could be taken on sanctuary cities. And the second one is, will Trump allow the gay pride parade to go as he is changing on DEI on these parades?
Mayor Adams: Thank you. Thank you for both those questions. And what is so important to the city, and I was just talking to my Mayor Office of Immigrant Affairs yesterday. We must stay focused on the services we’re doing in the city and don’t allow terminologies to get in the way of doing that and not live in fear.
You know, there’s a lot of talk out there of what we’re not going to have, what we’re going to have. But in fact, the city’s still moving forward. No one is going to stop the gay pride parade from taking place. When you talk about our funding, we’re going to continue to invest in our children and families.
And when we have these challenges, we have shown how we can budget during crises. Remember, we lost $7.5 billion under the previous administration. And in spite of that, we were able to maintain our fiscal cliffs, continue these programs that goes after children and families and low-income New Yorkers. And we’re going to do that.
We’re going to fight for whatever we must get from our federal and state agencies. But at the same time, we’re not going to take away these programs that impact us. So when it comes down to the lawsuit for sanctuary cities, that lawsuit is in place by Corp Counsel.
But in the meantime, my job is to make sure we provide for working class New Yorkers. And we’ve done that no matter what happens in Washington and in Albany, mind you. And so I’ll see you at the gay pride parade. We’re going to have a great march.
Byrd: You’re in the air on WBLS, go right ahead.
Question: Yes, good morning. My name is Laura from Mount Vernon.
Mayor Adams: Thank you, Laura. You’re in the air.
Question: Yes. And I wanted to say Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers. I have a pet peeve. I travel in Manhattan and the Bronx often to visit family and friends. And there are park spots on 147th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard and further up and further down where I’m getting $116 tickets. And I don’t understand what the ticket is for because it says a safety zone. These spots are a whole block from corner to corner. They have sections. Why? What is that?
Mayor Adams: That’s a great question. On your ticket, it tells you what the ticket is for. Okay, if you ever parked anywhere, there is a sign that tells you where you can park and where you can’t park in New York City.
Question: There’s no sign to identify what this spot is for. There’s nothing. From block to block to block, always on the left side of the street on Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard from 135th Street to 145th Street and maybe further down. There’s several spots that are a block long and I’m getting $116 [ticket]. For what?
Mayor Adams: Let me take a look at it because that sounds like a lot. Let me take a look at it. And safety zones for pedestrians [are] protected by signs. But let me take a look at it. This is the first time I heard about that. I’ll drive by there and see exactly what it is. And I’ll speak with our commissioner to find out. We don’t want you to get a summons for some unnecessary reason, but I’ll look into it.
Caller, you’re in the air.
Question: Hi, afternoon. I used to work for school safety and there seems to be a lot of problems with management in school safety. So it seems like people are exiting, like there’s no tomorrow and no one looks into why people are exiting. They just say goodbye and later and that’s that.
Is there any way you could have somebody look into why people are exiting and instead of just saying, lose the problem, looking to having someone maybe fix the problems?
Mayor Adams: Without a doubt. And I’m a strong believer in school safety officers. Not only do they do a good job of taking care of the day-to-day, but they also are almost aunties and uncles to these young people. What I watch them do is just amazing. So let me look into that.
We know we are recruiting. We want more school safety officers. And when others were talking about getting rid of them, I said, no way under this administration. But I’ll take a look and see, we’re losing them in a large population. Listen, again, Happy Mother’s Day. That music is an indicator that we’re moving on. As you move through your day, don’t forget to sing that song, “I’ll Always Love My Mama.” She’s my favorite girl. Thank you.
Byrd: Thank you. He’s Mayor Eric Adams. The program is Hear from the Mayor. Heard each and every second Sunday, but also throughout other Sundays as well. As we move across the next several weeks, keep listening for details on the upcoming schedules.
Banner Image: New York City Mayor Eric Adams hosts a reception to kick off Fleet Week and make a veterans-related announcement as he continues “Veterans and Service Members Week” at Gracie Mansion on Thursday, May 22 2025. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
There are no comments yet
Why not be the first