You are reading

Sunnyside seniors press Mayor Adams on transit, homelessness during town hall

Mayor Eric Adams hosts an older adult town hall at Sunnyside Community Services Older Adult Center in Queens on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. Photos by Walter Karling

Feb. 17, 2025 By Shane O’Brien 

Mayor Eric Adams held an older adult town hall at Sunnyside Community Services (SCS) on Wednesday as part of a city-wide series facilitating older adult conversations with the mayor.

The event, which took place at SCS’s headquarters at 43-31 39th St. on Feb. 12, was the 19th in a city-wide series of older adult conversations since Adams took office more than three years ago and took place as Adams faced calls to resign from fellow New York Democrats after the DOJ dismissed federal corruption charges against him.

Photos by Walter Karling

During his opening address on Wednesday, the mayor touted his achievements during his three years in office, pointing to falling unemployment rates across the city, particularly among black and brown communities.

Last July, Adams celebrated reports showing a 30% decline in unemployment rates among Black and Latino populations since he took office. More recently, he highlighted New York State Department of Labor data revealing that the city had reached a record high of nearly 4.8 million jobs.

Adams fielded questions from senior members of the Sunnyside community during Wednesday’s town hall. Several local residents expressed concern about a buildup of snow and ice along sidewalks in the neighborhood during the recent cold snap.

Other residents urged the Mayor to lead efforts to install an elevator at the 40 St-Lowery St subway station due to an increase of older residents with disabilities near the station.

Adams responded that the MTA already has a plan to build out elevators at subway stations across the city and promised to ensure that the 40 St-Lowery St station is part of the MTA’s agenda.

Photos by Walter Karling

Other attendees raised concerns about a proliferation of homeless individuals living beneath the 40 St-Lowery St station, stating that individuals have been “urinating, defecating, sleeping, and using drugs” underneath the elevated subway lines in the area.

Adams promised to drive by the location and touted the city’s success at removing homeless encampments throughout his time in office.

Others expressed fears about potential cuts to senior centers and social services under the Trump Administration. Adams pledged to “fight for every penny” for services in New York City. The Mayor also acknowledged the importance of senior centers to elderly residents in the community.

“We know how important the older adult centers are. We know it’s a way to come together. It’s a way to socialize. And really, it’s part of the healthy environment where you not only eat well, you take exercise, you learn new things,” Adams told residents on Wednesday.

Photos by Walter Karling

However, the town hall took place amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the DOJ’s decision to drop federal corruption charges against Adams, which has prompted interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Danielle Sassoon and six DOJ officials to resign in protest.

Several prominent Democrats across Queens have called on Adams to resign or be removed from office over the dismissal, alleging that Adams is now beholden to the Trump Administration.

A number of Queens Democrats expressed concern after NBC News reported Thursday evening that it had obtained a letter from Sassoon alleging that Adams engaged in a “quid pro quo” with the Justice Department, alleging that attorneys representing Adams indicated that the Mayor “would be in a position to assist with Department’s enforcement priorities only if the indictment were dismissed.”

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez described the allegations as “explosive” and accused the Mayor of putting New York City “at risk” in exchange for the DOJ dropping charges against him.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Queens leaders rally against proposed $880B federal cuts to Medicaid

Mar. 21, 2025 By Athena Dawson

Meeks emphasized that the Medicaid Day of Action was a meaningful way to raise awareness of the importance of Medicaid for Americans. “Medicaid is not utilized by just one group; it’s not just Democrats, it’s not just Republicans, and it’s not just people from the East Coast or the West Coast… It’s each and every one of us, rural and urban,” Meeks said. 

‘From worst to best’: LaGuardia named top U.S. airport by Forbes Travel Guide

Forbes Travel Guide named LaGuardia Airport as the nation’s best airport in October based on a survey of 5,000 hospitality and travel experts and the guide’s most well-traveled fliers.

On Tuesday, Port Authority executive director Rick Cotton accepted the Verified Air Travel Award in the recently completed Terminal C. The award is the latest in a long list of accolades given to LaGuardia throughout the course of the airport’s $8 billion transformation project that began in 2016.

Second teen arrested for fatal stabbing of 14-year-old outside Sunnyside McDonald’s last month: NYPD

A second teenager was collared for the fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old boy during an after-school brawl at a Sunnyside McDonald’s restaurant last month.

Members of the NYPD’s Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested a 16-year-old boy in the confines of the 110th Precinct on Thursday morning and transported him to the 108th Precinct in Long Island City, where he was booked for the murder of Julian Corniell of 159th Street in South Jamaica on the afternoon of Friday, Feb. 14.