New York City Mayor Eric Adams received a jailhouse baptism on Good Friday. The Rev. Al Sharpton performed the baptism. Adams was joined by a group of men incarcerated at Rikers Island jail.
The baptism happened as Adams visited the jail complex. He was scheduled to meet with prisoners on Good Friday.
“Having been arrested and then elected mayor, I reminded these young men that where you are is not who you are,” Adams, a Democrat, said in a statement. “For the first time in their lives, their mayor didn’t look down at them — I sat side by side with them to be cleansed and recommit ourselves to getting on the right path.”
Adams is his own biggest fan. His office released photos of Adams and Sharpton locking hands during prayer and of Sharpton washing Adams’ feet, as well as him being baptized.
Good Friday is a day where we honor sacrifice and rebirth.
This morning, I joined a group of young men on Rikers Island to be re-baptized by @RevDaughtry and @TheRevAl Sharpton.
I recommitted myself to my faith, to our city, and to our shared efforts to give all New Yorkers a… pic.twitter.com/ckhQugO3sf
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) March 29, 2024
Maybe he could ‘recommit” himself to the members of the NYPD. Adams, a former cop, is receiving blowback after the tragic death of 30-year-old police officer Jonathan Diller who was shot during a traffic stop. Not to be too cynical but the timing of this baptism stinks of political opportunism. Sources around Diller’s widow, Stephanie, have reported that she blasted Adams and Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg, holding them responsible for her husband’s death. Who can blame her for such feelings?
Adams and Sharpton are close pals. The mayor often calls into Sharpton’s satellite radio show. The two men appear together at City Hall events. That speaks to Adams’ character – Sharpton is a career race-baiting grifter. Remember the Tawana Brawley hoax in 1987? What about his antisemitic rhetoric that fueled the deadly Crown Heights riots in 1991?
Rikers Island jail complex is run by the city. It is plagued by violence and neglect, currently the subject of a legal battle that could result in a federal takeover.
Earlier this week, Adams visited Rikers to meet with prisoners. He said during an interview with “The Breakfast Club” NYC radio show that he met with “a group of 12 young brothers who recommitted themselves to Christ.”
“I’ve been on Rikers Island more than any mayor in the history of the city talking with inmates and correction officers to turn around what’s happening on Rikers Island,” Adams said in the heated radio interview, which aired Friday.
That interview did not go well for Hizzoner. On Thursday the mayor was accused of sensationalizing the death of Officer Jonathan Diller. Commentator Olayemi Olurin blasted Adams on his handling of crime in the city. She called him a “fearmonger” on crime. She took issue with his comments about bail reform policies, claiming only a small percentage of those released on bail go on to re-offend.
Really? Tell that to the victims. Anyway, she jumped on Adams, and Diller’s murder entered the chat.
“In the same breath that you want to sensationalize, you want to highlight and point out how an officer was killed the other day which is a rare occurrence across the United States but let alone in New York. New York police officers have killed at least seven people this year, including a 19-year-old,” she said.
“Listen, I’m not trying to work anything on you. I lost a member of the police department. The same way I go to see a mother of an 11-month-old baby that was shot in the head when I first became mayor and I sat in the hospital with her, the same way I go visit these mothers that lose their children to gun violence, I go see them,” Adams said.
He later said that “many people on the far left” disagree with him on crime.
You know, many people on the far left, they say, ‘Eric, people should be allowed to sleep on the streets no matter what. They should be allowed to sleep on your stoop and inject themselves with drugs. They should be allowed to go into stores and steal whatever they want’.’ Like, people disagree with me all the time.”
He’s the real victim, you know. Geez, this guy’s a mess.
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