TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images
New York City Mayor Eric Adams could only smile and chuckle after a heckler with a megaphone repeatedly insulted him as he tried to speak to the media after he was indicted on federal charges on Thursday morning.
Adams was gathered with a group of supporters outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the mayor, to address the charges when the man started yelling at him.
“This is not a Black thing. This is a you thing,” the man yelled.
He went on to scream, “Your policies are anti-Black. You are a disgrace to all Black people in this city.”
Other protesters were chanting “abuse of power.”
A car alarm added to the noise as Adams paused.
“The things you have done are unconscionable,” the man continued. “You hurt our schools. Our streets are dirty. Our children are harrassed by police. This is ridiculous!”
The man spoke for several more seconds before he became silent as police surrounded them.
When Adams began speaking he thanked the support he was receiving from “all ethnic groups.”
Adams was indicted on federal charges of taking bribes and illegal campaign funds from foreign sources.
The Democratic mayor of the largest city in the United States said he was going to fight the charges and had no plan to step down.
“Everyone who knows me knows that I follow campaign rules and I follow the law,” Adams said.
U.S. Attorney Damien Williams says Adams was involved in a nearly decade-long corruption scheme. He called the actions a “grave breach” of public trust during a news conference after the indictment was unsealed.
Adams, a former captain in the NYPD, became the city’s second African American mayor three years ago.
