On the evening of September 25th, 2024, New York City Mayor and John Jay alumnus Eric Adams was indicted on federal charges, sparking a wave of reactions across the John Jay College community.
As Adams becomes the first sitting mayor in city history to face criminal charges, students and faculty are openly sharing their thoughts on the matter
Mayor Adams is under federal investigation for campaign fundraising violations and foreign influence.
The now unsealed indictment revealed that Mayor Adams is being charged with bribery conspiracy, fraud, and illegal foreign campaign donations.
Although Adams was planning to run for a second term next year, prominent public officals, including Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have already called for his resignation.
Several other public officials in New York City, including Chancellor David Banks of the public school system, New York City Police Department Commissioner Edward Caban, and Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg, have resigned in connection to the ongoing investigation.
Lisa Haye, a senior majoring in economics, expressed skepticism about Eric Adams’s public persona and criticized his impact on important community resources like education and libraries.
“I am not shocked at all,” said Haye. “He cosplays a rough and tumble kid that made it out of the hood and is working for his community but is the same man who sucks funds out of our public education and library systems.”
On the morning of September 26th, around 6 a.m., a dozen federal agents raided Mayor Eric Adams’s Gracie Mansion residence, seizing personal items such as phones and laptops in connection to the charges against him. Adams accused federal investigators of sensationalizing the probe to damage his credibility.
His lawyer, Alex Spiro, criticized the raid, stating they would have voluntarily provided the evidence. The investigation is being led by the Southern District U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.
Adams prepares to plead not guilty in his court appearance that is being scheduled for either tomorrow or Monday.
Timothy Martinez, an international criminal justice student, expressed his reaction to Mayor Adams being the first mayor ever charged in history.
“It is about time. Mayor Adams only cares about the money and having the title of mayor. He doesn’t care about the well-being of actual New Yorkers like you and I,” said Martinez.
Bryant Duell, a student majoring in political science, expressed a similar sentiment.
“He’s not even a Democrat and won as a Democrat; he didn’t even live in NYC and his whole vibe and aura turned me all the way off,” said Duell. “Furthermore, with the trips taken to Turkey, it just seemed there was corruption there.”
Many students at John Jay have expressed little surprise at the charges against Mayor Adams, citing his past controversies. However, some students have been shocked by the severity of the investigation and the raid on Gracie Mansion.
A senior police studies major, who preferred to stay anonymous for the sake of this interview, expressed his reaction to the events of the week.
“I am shocked he has defrauded the people of New York City and the John Jay community,” said the student. “I voted for him because I thought he would keep criminals off the streets, not knowing I was electing a criminal into office.”
Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will continue to be updated.
