Metro
Mayor Eric Adams declared himself “the symbol of black manhood in this city, in this country” during a speech last week at a Brooklyn church, where he again defended his outsized reaction to a 84-year-old Holocaust survivor who dared to question him at a community forum.
Hizzoner’s comments came Sunday at the Christian Cultural Center in Starrett City, as he continued to allude to his June 28 exchange with housing-rights advocate Jeanie Dubnau, whom he compared to a plantation owner at the town hall meeting after she “disrespected” him by griping about new rent increases for rent-stabilized apartments citywide.
Adams didn’t mention Dubnau by name — but it appeared he was talking about their exchange when he brought up a story he’s repeatedly told about how his late mother, Dorothy, who cleaned houses for a living, would repeatedly get fired for snapping back at disrespectful employers.
“She would say it was my job to clean your garbage pail — not to take your crap. And she would say to me, ‘baby don’t you ever let someone disrespect you,’” he said during his 10-minute talk.
“And no matter where I am, mommy transitioned almost two years ago and I hear her every time someone thinks they gonna step up and disrespect me,” he said to a cheering audience.
Adams – who also used to event to continue his onslaught of a New York press corps he believes covers him unfairly — then boasted: “I’m the symbol of black manhood in this city, in this country and what it represents. I am the mayor of the most powerful city on the globe and people need to recognize that.”
He previously declared himself the “future of the Democratic Party” following his 2021 primary victory before easily winning in the general mayoral election.
And he has claimed God delivered him a divine message roughly 30 years ago that they’d be mayor on Jan. 1, 2022 — the day he took office.
On Thursday, Adams remained on the offensive when asked about the incident with Dubnau.
“She disrespected the meeting,” he told NY1. “Her question was answered and she spoke in a disrespectful way. And the people who were there, you know what they did? They applauded me after I spoke.”
Dubnau did not return messages but has told The Post she’s not holding her breath for an apology.
“Oh, he’s not going to apologize,” she said. “I mean, you know the mayor. He thinks he’s the greatest and doesn’t want to be criticized.”
Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, a Republican who Adams defeated in the 2021 mayoral race, said the 62-year-old mayor needs to apologize to Dubnau.
“No one believes [his] mother would have told [him] to disrespect an elderly woman,” said Sliwa.
