New York Mayor-Elect Apologizes for Involvement in Controversial Appointment

Eric Adams, the mayor-elect of New York City, has announced that Myron A. Linen will be part of his transition team, specifically serving on a “criminal legal system committee”. This decision has drawn significant criticism from community leaders who question the appropriateness of appointing someone with a criminal past to such an important role.

The announcement was made late last month by Mamdani’s campaign organization Until Freedom. The group described Linen as one of the leaders they would be working closely with, citing his expertise in “gun violence prevention”, legislative advocacy, and “criminal justice reform”.

However, questions have been raised about Linen’s controversial background. He is currently serving a sentence for robbery-related charges stemming from two incidents dating back nearly three decades ago.

The first incident occurred in June 1997 when Linen was allegedly involved in a group attack against Joseph Eziri using a beer bottle during a carjacking attempt on the streets of Brooklyn, New York. A similar armed robbery charge followed in March 1998 involving another individual named Francisco Monsanto.

Adding to these concerns, Linen has been accused of making inflammatory statements online and using racial slurs previously, according to available records from social media monitoring services.

Linen himself has denied the accusations regarding the robberies, maintaining that had he cooperated with law enforcement at the time, he would have avoided incarceration.

His appointment comes amidst a broader debate on how past convictions might influence public service roles in positions responsible for shaping criminal justice policies and city-wide safety initiatives.