“I’m the mayor!” New York’s Eric Adams falters at a woman who likens her to a “plantation owner” after she berated him during a town hall meeting for allowing a 6% increase in stabilized rents
- New York Mayor Eric Adams likened a woman who berated him over a recent rent increase to a “plantation owner.”
- The angry woman confronted the mayor at a community meeting on Wednesday night, pointing the finger at him and claiming he had raised the rent
- Last week, the Rent Guidelines Board increased the rent on NYC’s one million rent-stabilized apartments after a controversial vote
New York Mayor Eric Adams was upset by a woman who likened her to a “plantation owner” after she berated him during a town hall meeting for allowing an increase in stabilized rents.
The exchange between the two came during a community call hosted by the mayor at an Upper Manhattan school on Wednesday.
Footage of the meeting shows Adams being questioned after the NYC Rent Guidelines Board voted to increase rents by up to 6 percent last week.
An angry woman is heard interrupting the mayor and saying that he raised the rent.
In a bizarre statement, Adams then told the woman, “I’m the mayor,” after she pointed her finger at him and questioned him.
The woman, who was apparently upset by last week’s rent increase, is seen here pointing the finger at the mayor and criticizing the move
In response to her question, Adams compared her to a plantation owner and asked her to show him respect
After being interrupted by the woman, Adams tells the congregation that he does not control the rental agency that instituted the increases.
The camera then pans behind Adams to show the angry woman pointing the finger at him and saying, “You said before and after that you supported those rent increases.”
In response, Adams said, “If you’re going to ask a question, don’t point at me or be disrespectful to me.”
“I’m the mayor of this city, treat me with the respect I deserve.” I’m speaking to you as an adult.
“Don’t act like you treated anyone on the plantation you own.” Give me the respect I deserve and join the conversation.
“Don’t point at me, speak to me as an adult, because I’m a grown man.”
“I walked into this room as a grown man and will leave this room as a grown man.”
Footage of the exchange was shared on social media, with viewers split over Adams’ comment.
One person wrote, “She was 100% right and he deflected.” Adams don’t care about us. He has to go.’
Adams told Wednesday night’s meeting that while he appointed the board members, he had no control over their decisions
On social media, users were divided on whether Mayor Adams’ comments were accurate
Another said: “The New York Mayor’s behavior here is embarrassing and I don’t even agree with the woman who asked the question.”
Another person added, “Good for my mayor.” This isn’t 1950s Alabama. It’s New York City in the year 2023, and with that kind of attitude, you can’t buy a black celebrity.
“Ask your question respectfully and you will receive a respectful answer.”
Last week, the Rent Guidelines Board increased the rent on NYC’s one million rent-stabilized apartments after a controversial vote.
The panel, made up of mayors, approved increases of up to 6 percent for two-year leases.
In a statement last week, the mayor thanked the board that made the increases for their “difficult job”.
The increases would apply to leases signed or renewed from October to September 2024.
Shortly after the board shared its proposal, Adams issued a statement welcoming the move after initially pushing back when the board announced increases could be as high as 7 percent.
Last week he said: “I would like to thank the members of the Rent Guidelines Board for their extremely important and extremely difficult work in protecting tenants from unsustainable rent increases.”
“Finding the right balance is never easy, but I believe the Board has succeeded this year – as evidenced by the positive voices of both tenants and public officials.”