The Rev. Al Sharpton, the longtime civil rights activist, is calling on newly elected New York Mayor Eric Adams to address the city's spike in crime, calling it ''out of control,'' according to Politico.
''In fairness to Eric, he's only been mayor five weeks,'' Sharpton told MSNBC's ''Morning Joe'' on Tuesday. ''But even as a fan of him: Eric, they're locking up my toothpaste.''
Sharpton's toothpaste comment refers to reports of convenience stores and pharmacies in the City placing inexpensive necessities, such as toothpaste, in locked containers to prevent theft. According to a New York Police Department report released this month, ''for the month of January 2022, New York City saw a 38.5% increase in overall index crime compared with January 2021.''
''I mean, we're talking about basic stuff here,'' Sharpton said. ''I'm like, what did I miss that we now have to lock up toothpaste?''
Sharpton went on to mention that Adams faces a ''challenge'' when it comes to addressing police reform and rampant petty crime.
''There is debate in the criminal justice system,'' Sharpton said. ''There are those that are concerned, including me, about overloading the system and the jails with petty crime. But at the same time, you cannot have a culture where people are just, at random, robbing and stealing.''
Adams, a retired NYPD captain, ran on the ticket of fighting crime. But at the dawn of his mayoral term, two police officers last month were fatally shot last month in Harlem.
After the violence, Adams said in January that it ''doesn't matter to me if it's a police officer shot, or if it's a baby shot, I'm going to stay in these streets until this city is safe.''
Last week, President Joe Biden met with Adams and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul at NYPD headquarters, where he pledged to partner with Adams to reduce crime in the city.
''Mayor Adams,'' Biden said, ''you and I agree: The answer is not to abandon our streets. The answer is not to defund the police. It's to give you the tools, the training, the funding to be partners, to be protectors.''
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