Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams offered a bizarre response after a woman appeared to curse him out over his treatment of homeless people on Monday.
After a woman, who appeared to be protesting, screamed obscenities at Adams, the New York City mayor responded that "one should be happy" if another person wants to "make love to them." The eyebrow-raising exchange came during a press conference Adams hosted to unveil his efforts to remove scaffolding from city streets and kickstart a recovery of the city's business district.
"F--- you, a--hole!" the protester appeared to say during the press conference Monday.
"She said I'm messing with homeless people," Adams responded, chuckling. "One should be happy if someone wants to make love to them. You know?"
Adams didn't explain what he meant, instead taking a question from a reporter on an unrelated topic. His office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
New York City continues to experience rising homelessness that is at its highest level since the Great Depression of the 1930s, according to the Coalition for the Homeless. As of December 2022, there were 68,884 homeless people, including 21,805 children, housed in New York City’s main shelter system.
The press conference Monday comes less than a month after Adams was criticized over his similarly-bizarre response to a woman concerned about high rent prices. That woman interrupted Adams during a town hall event in June to accuse the mayor of raising New York City rent and supporting 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. "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."
On June 21, the New York City Rent Guidelines Board announced recommendations paving the way for landlords to increase rents by 3% this year. Adams endorsed the board's decision, saying it found the "right balance."
It was later revealed the woman Adams compared to a plantation owner was housing activist Jeanie Dubnau whose family fled to New York City from Nazi Germany in the mid-1900s.