Like so many New Yorkers, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams grew up with adversity—and overcame it.
As one of six children, born in Brownsville and raised in South Jamaica by a single mom who cleaned houses, Eric and his family did not always know if they would come home to an eviction notice on the front door or food on the table. And when he was beaten by police in the basement of a precinct house at 15, Eric faced a life-changing act of injustice.
But instead of giving into anger, Eric turned his pain into purpose and decided to change the police department from within. He joined the NYPD and became one of its most outspoken officers, calling out racism and bias in the department and pushing for major reforms.
As a founder of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, Eric would often police the streets in a bulletproof vest one day during the high-crime 1980’s and 1990’s and protest bad behavior by cops the next, marching side-by-side with his fellow civil rights advocates. He rose to the rank of captain, helping to build the first computerized system for tracking crime in the city, which led to historic gains in public safety.
Eric’s efforts to change policing began his lifelong work to improve and protect New York. From the NYPD, he moved on to the State Senate, where he represented sections of central and Brownstone Brooklyn. In Albany, Eric built winning coalitions to advance New York City’s values and goals, helping to push through measures to protect tenants and workers, combat gun violence, end the NYPD’s abuses of stop and frisk, and advance human rights — including marriage equality. He also became the first person of color to chair the Senate’s Homeland Security Committee.
Eric was then elected Brooklyn Borough President in 2013 by putting together a diverse coalition of Brooklynites to become the borough’s first Black leader. As the representative of one of the nation’s largest counties, Eric fought tirelessly to grow the local economy, invest in schools, reduce inequality, improve public safety, and advocate for smart policies and better government that delivers for all New Yorkers. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the city, Eric moved a mattress into his office and worked around the clock to deliver donated meals and PPE to essential workers and vulnerable New Yorkers, demanding government produce more equitable relief.
22 years: As a New York City Police Officer for 22-years, Eric honorably served the city and often risked his life for those he made an oath to protect.
4 terms: Eric served 4-terms as a New York State Senator fighting for the rights of his community and for people often left out of the political conversation.
7 years: The first African-American Borough President of Brooklyn, Eric served for 7-years positively impacting the lives of over 2.6 Million people.
We at World Liberty TV, like to thank Lenny Caro, AKA Mr. Bronx for his friendship for over 20 years, and his invite to this event and also thank Alfred Placeres who served on the Eric Adams, NYC Mayoral Committee for the Bronx fundraiser.
See more of Eric Adams in our World Liberty TV, Political blog by Clicking here.
