...retired New York City police captain, member of the New York State Senate, first Black Brooklyn borough president, law and order Dem after a brief fling with the Publicans. The New York Times isn't fond of him, suspecting he may not actually be black...had an eventful subway ride early Saturday on his first day in office — calling 911 to report an assault he witnessed while waiting for the J train in Brooklyn, and encountering drunk, mentally ill and homeless New Yorkers on the trip in.
"This is not my first day, ’So let me do, you know, some photo op.’ No. This how I flow. I’m a Metro card holder," Adams told news hounds shortly before 8:00 a.m. on the 30 minute ride between his Brooklyn home and City Hall.
"The joy of doing this is you’re carrying out an observation. If it’s happening on the J line it’s happening on the 4 line, it’s happening on the 5 line, the B line. So we have to think, ’What are we doing proactively?’ " Adams said.
The former transit cop and retired NYPD captain took the 30-minute commute without any noticeable NYPD security presence.
"I feel safe in my city," he said.
While waiting on the platform at the outdoor subway station at Kosciuszko Street, Adams witnessed three young men throwing punches on the street below. He called 911, only identifying himself to the operator at the end of the call as "Adams, Mayor Adams."
A few minutes later two squad cars pulled up, but left within seconds without questioning the young men, who’d stopped fighting and were getting inside a vehicle.
Adams said the coppers should have stopped and questioned the men. He vowed to use the incident as a "teachable moment" later Saturday, when he planned to speak to officers at the 103rd Precinct station house in Jamaica, Queens.
The new mayor also chatted briefly with a loud, inebriated rider and a man who was ranting and raving and asking if Adams wanted to see his identification. Finally, he acknowledged a third individual sprawled out sleeping on the train’s bench.
"These are real things that you see," Adams said.
"When I talk about the homelessness problem in the transit system it’s not a theoretical problem, I’m seeing it," he said.
Adams vowed to send mental health workers through the subway system to offer services to homeless and sick riders— to prevent a crime or
Hizzoner arrived to City Hall by 8:30 a.m., shaking hands with coppers and administration employees as he entered the building.
The new mayor had a packed schedule planned for his first day, starting with a cabinet meeting at 9:00 a.m. and ending with a 3:30 p.m. news conference after greeting police at the 103rd Precinct.
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