New York City Mayor-Elect Eric Adams is facing threats of violence and "bloodshed" from leaders of the Black Lives Matter New York chapter if the official continues to reinstate the plainclothes anti-crime units that were disbanded following the murder of George Floyd.
In an interview, the co-founder of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, Hawk Newsome, said that they will take to the streets once again if Adams puts back the old ways of policing. The leader warned of riots, fire, and bloodshed. He argued that the group believed in defending its people.
Threats of Violence, Bloodshed
The other co-founder of the branch and Hawk's sister, Chivona Newsome, warned Adams of the repercussions and lawlessness that the group will conduct if the unit is reinstated. "We will shut the city down. We will shut down City Hall, and we will give him hell and make it a nightmare," said Chivona, Yahoo News reported.
Former police captain Adams vowed, at a time when shootings and stabbings were surging in New York, that he would reestablish a reformed version of the plainclothes anti-crime unit. The official argued that having an effective Anti-Crime team was needed to take guns off the streets. He pledged that he would do it right to protect the people of the city.
Previously, Adams gained early attention for critically speaking about the police department that he served in and as someone who has, in his teens, experienced police brutality. The mayor-elect said that when he was only 15 years old, police officers beat him after arresting him for trespassing.
While claiming himself as a progressive, Adams has continued to reject progressive mantras to "defund the police," saying that he was proud of his time in the department. He has been firm in his stance despite being seen as the moderate candidate in the crowded Democratic primary and one who offered a business-friendly approach, Fox News reported.
Anti-crime NYPD Unit
In June 2020, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea dissolved the controversial unit after a "disproportionate" number of high-profile incidents that involved plainclothes cops. Former officer Daniel Pantaleo was a part of the anti-crime unit during the time he put Eric Garner in a chokehold on Staten Island, causing his death. The victim's last words became a rallying cry for the BLM movement, "I can't breathe."
Hawk said that he was surprised that Adams did not offer a comment on police reform and would not give them any concrete plans during their meeting. The BLM group leader said that they will be at Adams' front door, at Gracie Mansion, and in the streets.
The BLM group leader said that he was not threatening anyone and was only warning that the events would be the natural response to aggressive oppression and how people will react. In response, Adams said that the city could have both safe streets and racial justice.
The mayor-elect also said that if Black lives truly mattered, they should address the violence surging in communities while also addressing bias in policing efforts. He argued that yelling and not listening was getting them nowhere, the New York Post reported.
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