New York City Mayor Eric Adams was loudly booed while delivering a college commencement speech after bringing up his NYPD career.
Adams, 62, faced the backlash while speaking at the City University of New York School of Law on Friday, where dozens of students turned their back on him in protest.
Footage posted on social media showed the furious students begin jeering the former cop after he said members of the graduating class would go on to become a ‘public figure’ like himself.
‘Let’s be clear, for 22 years of my life, I wore a bulletproof vest and protected the children and families of this city as a police officer,’ Adams added, while the audience continued booing.
‘Just as you see these graduates here, I know what it is to protest,’ he said.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams pictured speaking at the Annual NYPD Hall of Heroes Memorial Ceremony at One Police Plaza on May 2, 2023, in New York City
Adams has faced backlash from some Big Apple constituents who feel he has not governed the city as liberally as they would expect.
However, during his speech the 62-year-old argued that he had a long history of taking a public stand on issues, citing his attendance at protests following the 1999 killing of Amadou Diallo, a 23-year-old Guinean man who was killed by NYPD officers.
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‘But I’m not the mayor because I know how to protest,’ he added.
‘I’m the mayor because I know how to speak on behalf of the countless number of people in this city’.
At one moment, Adams declared: ‘I know what it is like to hold the city together.’ In response, several members of the crowd shouted: ‘No you don’t’.
Video of the speech was posted to Twitter, with the attendee who shared the footage saying that boos also rang out across the auditorium when it was announced that Adams would be speaking.
Dozens of students were seen turning their backs in protest during Mayor Adams’ speech
Recently, Adams has come under fire for his actions in a number of issues, including moving migrant encampments in New York hotels.
His NYPD service was also jeered by the students as the force has faced criticism for the delayed arrest of former marine Daniel Penny for the killing of homeless man Jordan Neely.
This week, City University of New York faculty and students spoke out after it was announced the institution would be hit by drastic budget cuts.
Analysis by the City Comptroller’s office found the city cut $155 million from the college already this year, leading to the loss of 235 staff positions. In Mayor Adams’ new executive budget proposal, the university may lose a further $41 million.
