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The Sad Twilight of
Mayor Eric Adams’ Career
Mayor Eric Adams’ Career
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| Former NYC Mayor Eric Adams |
By Kamau Austin
There’s something deeply unsettling about how New York City is choosing to remember Eric Adams.
The pile-on, the erasure, the selective outrage—it all feels too familiar for Black New Yorkers who have watched this cycle repeat itself again and again.
I remember Eric Adams long before Gracie Mansion. I remember him as a street activist fighting police brutality when doing so came with real risk. He was threatened—by elements within the police department and by street hustlers alike—because we were trying to reduce violence in our communities through grassroots organizing like the Black United Front. That work wasn’t glamorous. It was dangerous. And it was necessary.
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Mayor Eric Adams’ Career Continues
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Article On The Sad Twilight of
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Mayor Eric Adams’ Career
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| Former NYC Mayor Eric Adams |
I remember when Adams made a controversial but strategic argument: if we wanted to change policing, we needed to infiltrate it. That’s how Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care was born. Whether people agreed with that approach or not, it was rooted in a sincere attempt to protect Black lives—from the inside.
So yes, seeing someone who once stood shoulder-to-shoulder with community activists become mayor of the largest city in the United States—arguably the world—was inspiring. It meant something.
Which is why this ending feels so heavy.
Was Mayor Adams perfect? Absolutely not. No politician is. But the way his administration is now being flattened into caricature ignores decades of service and real, measurable accomplishments. Under his leadership, New York City saw an unprecedented number of Black women in top administrative and law-enforcement roles. Affordable housing projects moved forward—projects thousands of New Yorkers are now applying for. Libraries and the MTA underwent long-overdue technological upgrades that modernized how people access city services.
Then came the migrant crisis—one largely manufactured by MAGA-aligned governors who shipped tens of thousands of people into New York City by bus and plane. Adams initially responded from a humanitarian standpoint and repeatedly called on Washington for help. That help never came.
Meanwhile, Black New Yorkers voiced real concerns about strained social services and economic displacement. When Adams adjusted course, some of the same voices that criticized him before turned around and condemned him again. There was no winning—only blame.
Now New York turns the page to Zohran Mamdani. He brings bold, passionate ideas—some inspiring, others fiscally questionable. Still, I hope he succeeds. He’s already made several appointments of community leaders I respect. And for the city’s sake, he needs to succeed.
But let’s be honest: if history tells us anything, the knives are already out.
This is not new. We’ve seen it before—with David Dinkins, whose tenure was relentlessly undermined despite governing during one of the city’s most volatile periods. We see it nationwide with Black elected officials who are subjected to nonstop investigations, allegations, and media narratives that rarely show the same intensity toward their white counterparts.
Look at Marilyn Mosby. Look at Letitia James. The pattern is unmistakable: Black leadership is treated as presumptively suspect. Legal accusations become political weapons. Media amplification does the rest.
Meanwhile, the very same political forces that claim moral authority continue to back leaders accused of sexual abuse, corruption, and even insurrection—without hesitation. Loyalty flows freely when power is on the line.
As someone who works in media and watches city governance up close, I can say this plainly: Eric Adams did far more good than harm. And our community deserved a more nuanced conversation about his administration—one that acknowledged complexity instead of rushing to condemnation.
If New York City continues this pattern, we’ll keep asking the same question every generation: Why do Black mayors only get one term—if they get elected at all?
As we move forward, I’ll choose to remember Eric Adams not just for how his tenure ended, but for the decades of work that brought him there in the first place. Service matters. Context matters. And memory—especially collective memory—matters most of all.
To Mayor Adams: thank you for your service. I wish things had ended differently.
And to Mayor Mamdani: govern boldly—but brace yourself. The system rarely shows mercy to Black leadership, no matter the ideology.
History is watching.
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nZinga Austin is also the Co-publisher of Our Black News Scoop and Southeast Queens Scoop. The documentary of about 1/2 hr long is getting rave reviews.Checkout Nzinga's Spectrum in 3D now Click Here. Please share
While there are brilliant persons on the Autism Spectrum celebrated today, very little media stories focus on people, especially women of color. Our co-publisher's new bio-pic "nZinga's Spectrum In 3D," is a moving and inspirational documentary on how a young Black woman RISES to overcome her challenges.
nZinga Austin is also the Co-publisher of Our Black News Scoop and Southeast Queens Scoop. The documentary of about 1/2 hr long is getting rave reviews.
Checkout Nzinga's Spectrum in 3D now Click Here. Please share
Posted by community events coordinator, Nzinga Lonstein Austin, is a prolific blogger who writes on the entertainment industry and issues for people with developmental and physical challenges.She is presently in high school looking to have a career in video, film, and media. You can see more of her entertainment writing on Lonstein Movies.
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