At a community gathering at Junior High School 218, Mayor Eric Adams, alongside key city officials, engaged with residents during the latest installment of the “Talk with Eric” Community Conversations series.

This 32nd town hall aimed to foster direct communication between the administration and New Yorkers, with a commitment to addressing their concerns and aspirations.

First Deputy Commissioner Valerie Vazquez opened the event by emphasizing the importance of these conversations.

“The Adams administration is excited to be here in East New York, Brooklyn. We want to thank Junior High School 218, as well as Principal Lee Ann Hermann for hosting us,” she stated. “The Talk with Eric Community Conversations series provides an opportunity for the mayor and his commissioners to hear directly from New Yorkers.”

Mayor Adams took the stage and reflected on the challenges the city faced at the start of his administration. “Go back to January 1st, 2022, when I got elected. What was happening in this city at that time? No one was on our subway system. We were being impacted by COVID. It was unsure if our children were going to be in the schools or not,” he recounted.

Highlighting the progress made since then, he shared, “Two years later, we financed more affordable housing in year one and in year two in the history of the city.”

As the discussion unfolded, attendees raised key issues, including public safety and youth employment. One resident asked about enhancing lighting on streets to improve safety, particularly regarding crime and gang violence. Mayor Adams responded, urging collaboration: “Lighting is crucial because if you don’t have the proper lighting, it does attract a lot of bad things.”

Ryan Lynch, Chief of Staff for the Department of Transportation, assured residents that they were actively addressing lighting concerns in the area. “As part of the Every Block Counts effort, we’ve already begun surveys on about a dozen locations, and that we’ve installed recent lighting improvements in a dozen locations throughout East New York,” he said.

The conversation also shifted to the pressing need for jobs for the youth in the community. A local business owner raised concerns about how minority-owned businesses could better connect with city opportunities.

Mayor Adams acknowledged the importance of job access and the initiative taken to support youth employment

“We’ve increased the Summer Youth Employment. When the mayor took office, we went from 75,000 to 100,000 young people having jobs during the summer,” Keith Howard noted.

Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos added, “Our Pathways program… has put $8 million in the pockets of young people who still have not graduated from high school. We have made sure that we have focused on career-connected learning.”

The town hall concluded with a renewed commitment from Mayor Adams and his administration to continue engaging with the community and to work collaboratively on solutions that uplift East New York. “We turned around this city in two years and we will continue to do so. There’s so much more to do,” he affirmed, leaving residents with a sense of hope and determination for a brighter future.