Mayor Eric Adams took aim at woke criminal defense lawyers who downplayed the murder of police officer Jonathan Diller as an “unusual event” and instead focused on police officers who “murdered” citizens.
Olayemi Orurin, a self-proclaimed “movement” lawyer and “abolitionist,” appeared on the show with Adams. iHeartMedia’s “The Breakfast Club” The segment aired on Friday morning, with hosts Charlamagne Tha God and DJ Envy.
Mr. Orlin defended the controversial cashless bail law, argued that most defendants who are released are not rearrested, and began by labeling Mr. Adams a “fear monger.” .
“I’m not talking about bail,” Adams retorted.
“As much as you want to sensationalize, we want to highlight and point out how a police officer was killed the other day. This is a rare occurrence across the United States, let alone in New York. , New York police officers have killed at least seven people this year, including a 19-year-old,” Orlin said.
She was referring to a 19-year-old man who suffered a “mental crisis” and was shot and killed by an NYPD officer after charging at officers with a pair of scissors inside his apartment in Queens on Wednesday afternoon.
Adams seemed surprised that Orrin minimized Diller’s death.
“I’m not going to ignore the loss of innocent lives in uniform,” Adams said.
“But you’re dealing with the 31 people who died at Rikers,” Orlin said.
Three people have died at Rikers Island this year, and a total of 25 in the past two years.
Mr. Adams also said Mr. Orlin made what could be interpreted as an insensitive remark about the shooting of Mr. Diller during a traffic stop in Queens on Monday night, which was attributed to Guy Rivera, a 34-year-old career criminal. suggested that he might want to withdraw.
“I don’t want to take you out of context and I don’t want people to suddenly criticize you for making light of a young man being shot,” the mayor said.
But the lawyers doubled down.
“Mayor Adams, I can’t do that,” Orlin said.
“Listen, I’m not going to lobby you for anything. I lost a police officer. I met the mother of an 11-month-old baby who was shot in the head when I first became mayor. Just like I went to the hospital and sat with them in the hospital, just like I go to see the mothers who have lost their children. If there’s gun violence, I go to see them,” Adams responded.
“Well, would you?” he asked the critic.
Orlin claimed the mayor has not visited the families of the inmates who died in the Rikers incident. Mr Orlin said that as a Legal Aid lawyer, he had represented many defendants who had been incarcerated in notorious prisons.
“Did you go visit the slain officer’s family?” Adams asked.
When Orlin said, “No,” Adams replied, “Of course not.”
Elsewhere in the tense on-air exchange, Orlin tasked Adams with “repeatedly saying the subways are dangerous, New York is dangerous.” She complains relentlessly about crime,” she said.
The attorney asked Adams about his oft-repeated position that New York City is one of the safest large cities in the country and how Hizzoner’s rhetoric on traffic crime is contributing to people’s fears. I asked for an adjustment.
“Is it safe? Or not?” she demanded.
Charlamagne the God supported Orlin, telling Adams that Orlin’s decision to put 2,000 more officers into subway stations is making New Yorkers “think something is wrong.”
Adams countered by claiming he had heard from commuters that seeing more uniformed police officers on the subway made them feel safer.
“Right now you might say, ‘Eric, I don’t want to see uniformed police officers visibly present.’ That’s cool. That’s what the vast majority of New Yorkers are saying. Not,” he said.
The wide-ranging and often controversial debate also touched on the immigration crisis that has roiled the city, with Adams offering pre-paid food stamps to asylum seekers as a way to save the city money, in light of federal policy. He defended the administration’s decision to offer debit cards. Reluctance to provide the necessary funds.
Mayors argued that their hands were tied because they had no authority to turn back migrants, deny them food or shelter, or expel them to their home countries.
“People have a right to be angry,” Adams said.
