Last week Mayor Eric Adams made history by swearing in a formerly incarcerated member of the New York assembly, New York Daily News.

Eddie Gibbs, who in 1988 pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges, took his oath of office in the gymnasium at the Johnson Houses Community Center in East Harlem, near where he grew up.

“You are going to Albany right now at the right time,” Adams said before reading the oath. “You are bringing street credibility. Look at you and me—ejected, rejected, and now being respected,” the mayor continued, receiving cheers and applause from the crowd.

Last month, Gibbs, easily defeated Republican Daby Benjamin Carreras in a special election. In 1988, he was only 17-years-old when he claimed self-defense and was sentenced to four years in state prison where he earned his associate's degree in business.

After being released from prison, Gibbs briefly worked as a standup comic and rapper before becoming a district leader for East Harlem in 2017.

Gibbs is replacing ex-Assemblyman Robert Rodriguez, who resigned back in November to become Gov. Hochul’s secretary of state.                                                                                                               

Filled with emotion after Adams swore him in, with tears in his eyes, Gibbs said,

“My brother, our mayor.” 

On Twitter, Gibbs pledged to be a partner to Adams in his mission to fight back against the city’s recent crime spike.

“I look forward to working in partnership with @NYCMayor on his Blueprint to End Gun Violence,” his tweet read.“ As the first formerly incarcerated lawmaker, I bring an important perspective to Albany with an understanding of balancing public safety and justice; I know Mayor Adams understands this as well.”

He also added I'm another tweet, "My life has been full of low points—but being elected to serve my community in the New York State Assembly is a high point I'll forever be grateful for."

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