New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) is defending New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) after she made controversial comments about Black kids in the Bronx.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Adams said, âI am not the word police. I know the governorâs heart. And when you make thousands of speeches, when youâre in front of the cameras all the time, when youâre trying to be authentic and say the things that youâre really feeling, one can sit back and do a critical analysis of every sentence you say.â
âI know her heart. I know what she was intending to say. And she was not trying to be disrespectful to people of the Bronx,â he added.
Adams also thanked the governor for âhighlighting the issues of technology,â and brushed off people who were trying to be the âword police.â
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During an event at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles on Monday, Hochul said there are âyoung Black kids growing up in the Bronx who donât even know what the word âcomputerâ is. They donât know. They donât know these things.â
âAnd I want the world opened up to all of them because when you have their diverse voices innovating solutions through technology, then youâre really addressing societyâs broader challenges,â she added.
In a statement to The New York Post, Hochul said, âI misspoke and I regret it.â
âOf course Black children in the Bronx know what computers are â the problem is that they too often lack access to the technology needed to get on track to high-paying jobs in emerging industries like AI. Thatâs why Iâve been focused on increasing economic opportunity since Day One of my Administration,â she added.
