New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Monday he supports reinstating the mask ban in the Big Apple, particularly on subways, at protests and in other non-health-related areas, to combat crime , adding that “cowards cover their faces.”
Adams met with reporters Monday afternoon, when he was asked about the possibility of implementing a mask ban.
Last week, Governor Kathy Hochul, D.N.Y., said she is considering reinstating her state’s mask ban to reduce crime. His proposal was rejected by some on social media who still fear the COVID-19 virus.
During an interview with CNN anchor Laura Coates last Wednesday, Hochul was asked about potential steps she could take to reduce rampant crime in New York, including reinstating a previous mask ban. Jewish leaders have said masks have made violent offenders less afraid of committing anti-Semitic hate crimes.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Monday he supports banning masks in non-health-related settings. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Asked about Hochul’s proposal, Adams told the reporter Above all, it was about good implementation.
“I’m a strong supporter of the decision to stop masks in our metro, masks at protests and masks in other areas where it’s not … health-related,” Adams said.
The mayor explained that the public will likely see the “despicable hateful behavior” seen across the city begin to dissipate with the implementation of the mask ban.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he supports banning masks, adding that if protesters want to speak out on controversial issues, they should do so without covering their faces. (Reuters/David Dee Delgado)
“Masks are not new and covering your face while you’re doing terrible things is not new,” Adams said. “There were these guys walking around with balaclavas in the deep south. So cowards cover their faces.”
He told those protesting if they believe in something they should stand up and show their face while believing in it and speaking about it.
“My team is working on a solution, but in a subway, people should not be able to hide behind a mask to commit crimes,” Gov. Kathy Hochul previously said. (Getty Images)
But, to those who stand on New York City trains and tell people to raise their hands if they are Zionists, then tell them to get off the train, they should show their faces, Adams noted.
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“I think the governor is in the right place and I strongly support him,” Adams said of Hochul’s proposal. “I hope we get there. … The sooner we do it, I think it’s going to stop a lot of these crimes we witness.
Gabriel Hays of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
