Eric Adams says NYC has become a city where ‘lawlessness is the norm’

Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams on Monday said the Big Apple has “become a place where lawlessness is the norm” — as he revealed that he’s begun informal transition talks with the de Blasio administration in order to be ready to tackle the city’s crime problem.

“It is really has become a place where lawlessness is the norm. And that is just unacceptable,” Adams said on WNYC’s “The Brian Lehrer Show.”

“You know, we’ve lost our ability to understand what it is to be a good neighbor, and it doesn’t mean being heavy-handed. It’s just having acceptable codes of conduct of how you live in a diverse city like this.”

Adams, who faces Republican challenger Curtis Sliwa in November’s general election, pointed to problems with illegal dirt bikes and ATVs on the streets as just one symptom of a city in decline — noting that a child struck over the weekend by a dirt bike in Queens was in critical condition.

“We need to stop the illegal use of ATVs, dirt bikes, and all the other forms of two-wheelers that are moving around our city in a very dangerous environment, up and down the sidewalk, racing in the streets,” Adams said.

“This is just unacceptable. And I don’t believe the hands-off approach is the right way to do it,” he continued, adding that there should be units designated to taking the illegal vehicles off the streets.

The Brooklyn borough president said he’s begun to have informal conversations with the de Blasio administration to be prepared to tackle issues, such as crime and the city’s recovery from the pandemic.

“We need to be prepared for all of these complicated issues and so we’re having informal conversations,” Adams said.

“There’s no official transition team, but we are starting to have informal conversations to be abreast on what we’re facing as a city, and I encourage all candidates to attempt to do to dialogue as well to be prepared to run the city.”

Adams, in the interview, also defended his record as a “35-plus-year progressive.”

Asked about a Marist poll that indicated progressive candidate Maya Wiley would have won the most first-place votes with people under the age of 45, Adams blamed the media for unfairly treating him as one of the more conservative options in the race.

“No one went beyond the surface of a tweet to look into the record of the candidate, and that is why many of my young voters, unfortunately, did not know my real record to make that decision to say, ‘This is a progressive candidate,'” Adams said.

“I’m not like surrendering my progressive credentials to anyone just because we define what being a progressive candidate is.”

Adams pointed out that he’s been calling for grand jury reform since one declined to indict NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner in 2014.

“Look at every candidate … that ran for mayor, you find me one comment they made in 2014 about Eric Garner. Find me one statement they made,” he said. “Then look for my comments, my statements, my protests, my activism, what I was doing.”

Adams said he’s still committed if he becomes mayor to re-examine the “secret process” of grand juries.

“We have to really lean into grand jury reform. It’s time for us to stop this secret process, where it is determined without knowing how did we decide if a person received an indictment or not. That is something that can’t be done and continue,” he said.