Editor’s Note: The following is an extended version of the story that appears in the print edition of Norwood News dated Jan. 25-Feb. 7, 2024.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams delivered his third annual State of the City address on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at Hostos Community College in the South Bronx. During his address, the mayor shared what he said was the progress made over the past two years, and laid out plans for what he called a “future-focused vision for working-class New Yorkers” during his address.

 

City officials contextualized the mayor’s address by touting the mayor’s achievements in driving down crime and pushing job growth to “historic” highs, “all while managing a once-in-a-generation asylum seeker humanitarian crisis.” Adams said, “When we came into office two years ago, we had a clear vision: protect public safety, rebuild our economy, and make this city more livable.”

 

He continued, “Two years later, thanks to the hard work of this administration and millions of dedicated New Yorkers, the state of our city is strong — far stronger than it was when we came into office. New York City is becoming a place where everyone has the opportunity to make it, and the future-focused vision we laid out today will build on all that we have delivered for New Yorkers by investing in public safety, public spaces, and the working people who make New York City the greatest city in the world.”

 

The mayor’s plans include establishing a department of sustainable delivery, supporting 400,000 green economy jobs, building new housing on public land, expanding the “New York City Reads” program, investing in clean, dynamic public spaces, and protecting New York City from climate change.

 

He said that while his administration continued to get ‘crime down’ and ‘jobs up,’ they are also going to create a little more housing in every neighborhood, get black trash bags off street blocks, invest in a sustainable future, and make the city’s streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and delivery workers.

 

Adams said that additionally, his administration was going to make the city a better place for women to work, live, and thrive with a $40+ million roadmap, announced the same week as his address, which covers everything from expanding maternal mental health access to supporting female-led, local businesses.

 

First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright said of the announced roadmap at the time it was announced, “The strong leadership from women in the Adams administration is responsible for creating and enacting policies that move our entire city forward.”

 

She added, Today’s announcement is an example of just that — sharing the vision of a city that embraces equity, from economic mobility to women’s health to public safety, and action items that relate to improving our everyday lives. This plan is the result of my fellow deputy mayors who have brought their decades of both professional expertise and personal experience to put forth programs that will move our entire city forward.”

 

Back at Hostos Community College, Adams also addressed the danger that he said social media poses to young people and their mental health, saying a March 2023 health commissioner’s advisory had identified unfettered access to and use of social media as a public health hazard, just as past U.S. surgeons general had issued warnings about tobacco and firearms.

 

The mayor went on to announce an initiative to relieve up to half a million working New Yorkers of $2 billion in medical debt. He said program participants will not owe anything or be penalized. “No one chooses to go into medical debt, and it’s important New Yorkers are not forced to choose between paying rent and paying off a medical bill,” he said.

On the education and transportation front, Adams said around 150,000 New York City students ride school buses, and therefore, his administration is launching a free app to let parents and caregivers track their kids’ rides in real time. All that is needed is an NYC Schools Account and a child’s student ID number.

 

Other topics included the mayor’s vision for public safety, rebuilding the economy, and making the city more livable. In addition, Adams touted his administration’s efforts in terms of safer streets, “record amounts” of affordable housing created, and investments in clean streets and public spaces.

 

In terms of public safety, the NYPD later reported that as of Jan. 30, and since Jan. 1, 2022, 14,079 guns have been removed from New York City streets, 488 of those since Jan. 1, 2024.

 

Adams said the state of the city was strong and added, “While our city is still full of questions, history shows we can answer them and progress together when we work as one. The last two years have been a time of renewal and resetting — now, let’s make the future together.”

 

Different groups gathered outside the event to protest some of the policies and approaches taken by the Adams administration, particularly those around the handling of asylum seekers and migrants, detainees on Rikers Island, the How Many Stops Act, and previously announced budget cuts, some of which were later reversed. A further story will follow on the specifics of the protests.