New York City Mayor Eric Adams got into a heated debate on “The Breakfast Club” over the city’s crime and his stance on it.
The mayor, along with Charlamagne the God and DJ Envy, was also joined by political commentator and lawyer Olayemi Olurin. One central point that Olurin brought up was Mayor Adams’ handling of Officer Jonathan Diller’s death. The 31-year-old was shot and killed by 34-year-old Guy Rivera in a shootout. Though a tragic event, Olurin pointed out that officers killed more citizens and accused the mayor of sensationalizing Diller’s murder, being a “fearmongerer” of sorts. She also referenced the murder of 19-year-old Win Rozario, who was murdered inside his Queens home during a mental health crisis after his mother called 911 to report him acting erratically. Officers say he was wielding a knife, though the family has maintained that he needed help.
“In the same breath that you want to sensationalize, we want to highlight and point out how an officer was killed the other day, which is a rare occurrence across the United States but let alone in New York, New York police officers have killed at least seven people this year, including a 19-year-old,” Olurin stated.
“I’m not going to dismiss the loss of a life of an innocent person that wears a uniform,” Adams would firmly state, to which Olurin shot back, “But you do the 31 people that died at Rikers.
Rikers Island has also been a topic of debate among New Yorkers, who have called for action following the many deaths inside the jail. Olurin also suggested that Adams was a part of the Rikers problem since he cut rehabilitation programs for inmates.
