BLM of Greater NY leader Hawk Newsome speaks out on tiff with incoming Mayor Adams
BLM of Greater New York leader Hawk Newsome joins 'The Story' to sound off on new mayor's policing plans amid crime spike
Black Lives Matter of Greater New York leader Walter "Hawk" Newsome defended his criticisms of New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams on "The Story" after the retired police captain announced he would be reinstating a plainclothes NYPD division.
Adams said earlier this week he will not "surrender" to "those who are saying we will burn down New York" – which some observers saw as a reference to Newsome.
Newsome previously told Fox News that his comments about "fire and bloodshed" were not a threat toward Adams or the city. Instead, he said, those are potential outcomes independent of organized leadership if the city government does not listen to their demands.
"The mayor[-elect] is engaging in a political circus," said Newsome, an attorney and former Bronx political candidate. "My parents didn’t raise a clown. I’m not here to play the political games with him."
Newsome accused Adams, who will take office as the Times Square ball drops on New Year's Eve, of trying to use BLM-GNY and himself as a way to make news and give himself a public relations boost.
Hawk Newsome (C) leads a chant during a Black Lives Matter protest in front of Trump Tower in New York City, U.S. January 14, 2017. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith
"The mayor took a trip to Africa, which wasn’t covered by the press. His appointees weren't covered by the press. He threw my name out there to get in the media. Look what happened after we engaged in this back and forth," Newsome said.
The activist added that Adams then discussed policing policy and their war of words with left-wing CBS late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, and HBO "Real Time" host Bill Maher.
"I made him famous for this spat we had. If the mayor cared about what is best for the city, he would talk about the things we agreed upon in the meeting. He didn’t want to discuss that -- He wants the hype," added Newsome, who wore a "Critical Race Theory is American History" sweatshirt.
Adams defended his plan to reconstitute a plainclothes anti-illegal-gun unit in the nation's largest city, saying publicly it was a mandate from the voters who chose him over far-left candidates who wanted to further defund and punish law enforcement.
"We’re not going to surrender to those who are saying, ‘We’re going to burn down New York.’ Not my city," he said, according to the New York Post. Adams followed up by calling out a "professional… anarchist" mob composed of people from "outside the city or [who] recently moved here" that caused destruction in Middle Village, Queens after Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted.
The mob reportedly also acted in an intimidating manner toward the nearby home of moderate, pro-police City Councilman Robert Holden, D-Glendale, according to the New York Post.
The paper reported the crowd at Adams' remarks included several prominent New York Republicans such as billionaire businessman and radio host John Catsimatidis, ex-NYSGOP Chair Ed Cox and actor Tony Danza.
On "The Story", when Newsome claimed Adams "does not have a plan", host Martha MacCallum countered that he had just laid it out in recent public comments.
After brief crosstalk, Newsome added that what he meant was that Adams' plans sound identical to those of outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio.
New York City Police Department Chief of Detectives and incoming Commissioner, Dermot Shea speaks as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio looks on during a news conference. November 4, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
"He wants that unit back on the street. I spoke with a New York … " MacCallum replied as Newsome began to interject. "It’s my turn now… I let you answer."
MacCallum went on to ask Newsome about first-hand comments from officers who predicted de Blasio's disbanding of the anti-crime unit would result in exponential increases in violent crimes – which have come to fruition in New York.
Newsome replied that the 4th Amendment "protects people from illegal searches – secondly, the [anti-crime] unit had been responsible for the most high-profile deaths in the city. [Adams] isn’t saying what he’s going to do differently."
Newsome later accused MacCallum of "White privilege" when she reiterated the benefits of the plainclothed anti-crime unit.
"Don’t throw that at me," she said. "I want this whole city of people of every background, faith, color to be safer. What I see on the street is that's not what is happening since this unit was disbanded."
Newsome replied that he doesn't get paid by the City of New York for his BLM work, claiming that he rescued a lost 11-year-old child earlier Thursday and that he routinely tries to promote justice for underserved New Yorkers.
"I [also] do this in Houston and Atlanta. I help Black people all over the country like a Black Salvation Army," he said.
MacCallum replied by crediting him in reportedly finding the lost child, later reiterating that the cities with the largest increases in homicides are cities where police have been defunded or have seen certain strategic units disbanded.
In Philadelphia, homicides broke the 500th mark on the year in November – the first time since 1990 – under far-left District Attorney Lawrence Krasner and Mayor James Kenney, while in Los Angeles a crime wave is gripping the city under the soft-on-crime policies of D.A. George Gascon.
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