New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is black, used a “plantation” reference when he berated a white woman at a meeting for complaining to him about the ever-rising cost of rent in the city.
Adams’ outburst occurred after a woman interjected during his comments at a community conversation town hall in Manhattan. The woman interrupted his remarks and accused the mayor of supporting rent hikes in New York City and endorsing rent increases.
“If you are going to ask a question, don’t point at me, and don’t be disrespectful to me,” Adams told the woman, according to Fox News. “I’m the mayor of the city. Treat me with the respect I deserve to be treated. I’m speaking to you as an adult. Don’t stand in front like you treating someone that’s on the plantation that you own. Give me the respect I deserve and engage in the conversation up here in Washington Heights.”
“Treat me with the same level of respect I treat you,” Adams continued. “So, don’t be pointing at me, don’t be disrespectful to me. Speak with me as an adult because I’m a grown man. I walked into this room as a grown man, and I’ll walk out of this room as a grown man. I answered your question.”
Adams then emphasized that he personally owns a three-family home in Brooklyn and asserted that he has never raised the rent for his tenants. Adams also distanced himself from the responsibility for rent increases, attributing such decisions to the New York City Rent Guidelines Board.
“I think it was a three percent recommendation,” he said. “I don’t control the board. I make appointments. They made the decision.”
On June 21, the Rent Guidelines Board made an announcement regarding recommendations that would allow landlords to implement a 3 percent rent increase this year. The decision will affect over a million rent-stabilized apartments across the city.
Adams praised the board’s decision.
“Finding the right balance is never easy, but I believe the board has done so this year — as evidenced by affirmative votes from both tenant and public representatives,” he said in a statement.
