African-American Eric Adams elected mayor of New York, police reform rejected in Minneapolis

Eric Adams, an African-American, former police officer and anti-racist trade unionist, has been elected mayor of New York, the Associated Press (AP) reported Tuesday evening, November 2, followed by most of the major American media, based on preliminary results .

Read also Article reserved for our subscribers In New York, Eric Adams, a “probusiness” Democrat, favorite for mayor

The 61-year-old Democrat has largely beaten, as expected, his Republican rival, Curtis Sliwa, 67, according to the first results released by the New York elections office. He becomes the second black mayor in the history of the American economic and cultural capital.

Eric Adams thus won 67% of the votes cast against around 27% for Curtis Sliwa, in a city classified on the left but where the economic and social inequalities between different communities are extremely marked.

“It’s a dream come true, I couldn’t be more proud to represent this city that we all love”, he tweeted, as soon as his victory was known.

Very moved after voting Tuesday morning in his hometown, the Democratic candidate felt that this election represented social revenge for the “Little guy” that he was in his youth, and therefore for working class New Yorkers.

” We already won “, he said, drying his tears, without releasing a portrait of his mother: “I’m not supposed to be here. But since I’m here, New Yorkers will realize every day that they also deserve to be in this city ” of 8 million inhabitants.

Eric Adams emerged victorious in the Democratic primary this summer after a campaign focused on security. Second, his experience as a former police officer had largely protected him from attacks by his Republican opponent, Curtis Sliwa, founder of an anti-crime militia. He was also particularly probusiness, far removed from the statements of the muse of the American left, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Beaten up by the police when he was a teenager

Eric Adams has relied heavily on his personal journey during the campaign. The son of a poor family, he said he was beaten by police officers when he was a teenager. When he later became a police officer, he had no hesitation in criticizing the institution, standing up for black agents and denouncing injustices.

However, in the wake of the protest movement that followed the death of George Floyd, he did not endorse the proposals from the left wing of the Democratic Party, calling for switching some subsidies allocated to the police to social programs, in order to act on the roots of crime.

He will now have control over the largest police force in the country (NYPD, 36,000 employees), whose reforms he will have to pursue, without alienating his former original body, powerful and unionized.

The successor to the unpopular Bill de Blasio will manage the largest municipal budget in the United States: 98.7 billion dollars for the 2021-2022 fiscal year.

Democrat Michelle Wu celebrates her Boston mayoral victory on Tuesday, November 2, 2021.

Democrat Michelle Wu, 36, the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, has been elected mayor of the capital of Massachusetts. She was facing another Democratic woman, Annissa Essaibi George.

Appeared as the protégé of the Massachusetts senator and former Democratic primary candidate Elizabeth Warren, Michelle Wu enjoyed the support of young people, voters on the left, as well as black, Asian and Latino minorities.

She, who says she entered politics after seeing all the obstacles her immigrant parents may have encountered in their lives, has led a very progressive campaign, advocating for the creation of social housing, the improvement of schools and public transport. She also spoke out in favor of police reform. Before being a candidate, she called for a 10% reduction in the budget allocated to the police.

The Moon Palace bookstore in Minneapolis has a huge sign calling for the removal of the police.  On Tuesday, November 2, 2021, voters rejected the reform of the police that was submitted to them.

Voters in Minneapolis, the city where George Floyd was killed by a white policeman, were called upon to replace the police with a new public safety department. They rejected this proposal.

Read also Article reserved for our subscribers Death of George Floyd: in Minneapolis, activists still call for police reform after verdict

His supporters argued that only a major overhaul of the police could put an end to police violence. On the contrary, its opponents considered that the proposed reform was vague and risked abandoning the communities most affected by crime to their fate.

While acknowledging their defeat, supporters of the reform recalled the urgency of transforming the police, whatever method is chosen.

Also listen How George Floyd’s death changed America

The World with AFP


source site