With just over 100 days to go until the general election, Bill Ritter interviewed Eric Adams ahead of Sunday's edition of "Up Close."
Adams says stopping the gun violence and other crime is the key to rebuilding the city's giant economy that is still reeling from the pandemic.
He also says if the data shows COVID cases reaching epidemic proportions again, shutting down would be the answer.
"We need to fight crime, we need to make sure we have the right supervision, but we also need to rebuild the trust between the good New Yorkers and our law enforcement community," Adams said.
Adams was a cop for years. He says the focus of fighting the epidemic of crime are the two Gs: guns and gangs. He wants to get rid of both.
"Anytime you hear the police departments talk about shootings, you hear the next sentence 'it appears to be gang-related.' They go together," Adams said. "We have a real gang problem in our city. We know where they are. We know who they are. And we must make sure we zero in on the New Yorkers who are creating this high number of violence."
As for the coronavirus epidemic in New York, Adams is taking the cautious road even though he's vaccinated.
"I still wear my mask in certain indoor gatherings, I think New Yorkers have become smarter around this issue, let's make sure that we do that by wearing our mask and then follow the science."
And as for those celebratory concerts in all five boroughs pushed by Mayor Bill de Blasio despite the frightening rise in new virus cases, Adams says he will attend.
"I think it's important that we lift the spirits of New Yorkers but if we see that the numbers continue to uptick, then let's adjust, let's not be so rigid that we feel just because we planned a concert, the show must go on, no, if we feel it's going to anything to jeopardize the safety and have us go backwards to do another shutdown like what's happening in other parts of the country, I say no to that, let's be smart, and let's be ready to switch what we're going to keep the city safe."
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