“Mr. Yang, you’ve also advocated for tougher policing. You’ve also said that you’re an outsider with a fresh perspective. Why would New Yorkers be safer with you at the helm of the N.Y.P.D. than with Eric Adams, who has decades of experience as a cop?” “All the people you should ask about this are Eric’s former colleagues in the police captains’ union, people who worked with him for years, people who know him best. They just endorsed me to be the next mayor of New York City. They think I’m a better choice than Eric to keep us and our families safe. And one of the captains said something to me about why they chose not to endorse Eric. They said that Eric, last summer, advised New Yorkers to take matters into their own hands and confront their neighbors over illegal fireworks. One woman, Shatavia Walls, took Eric’s advice and was killed. And a captain said to me, while we were talking about working together, said that this was the most irresponsible thing he’d seen from a public official, and it’s not the kind of leadership that he wanted to see in the next mayor.” “Those captains that he’s talking about, they didn’t endorse him because they thought he could do a job. They didn’t endorse me because I didn’t ask for the endorsement. Never went in front of them.” [Andrew Yang:] “NBC reported otherwise. NBC reported you asked for their endorsement, Eric.” [Eric Adams:] “Never went in front of them. I said months ago, I’m not taking any of the unions’ endorsement.” [Andrew Yang:] “You met with the lieutenants, and you called the captains, Eric.” [Eric Adams] “I said I was not going to.” [Moderator:] “Is that true?” [Eric Adams:] “No, it’s not. No, it’s not.” [Andrew Yang:] “Yes, it is, Eric.”