NYC Mayor Brings Political Statements Back to Met Gala With ‘End Gun Violence’ Jacket

(Bloomberg) -- New York City Mayor Eric Adams channeled AOC at this year's Met Gala in a tuxedo jacket that read “End Gun Violence.”

The jacket featured architectural icons like the Brooklyn Bridge and Chrysler building along with the yellow circle of the N subway line and the MTA logo — as well as a large handgun with a red slash through it. It was designed by Laolu Senbanjo, a Nigerian lawyer-turned-artist now based in Brooklyn.

“The goal is to end gun violence and save our children,” Adams said. He went on to point out the subway lines visible on the jacket: “Here's my Q train, my 3 train, my N train, my A train.”

The annual event at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art is a favorite of celebrities, designers, financiers and members of society willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege to attend. Last year, the event raised $16.4 million for the museum's Costume Institute. Lately, the gala has become a place to make a statement. In 2019, progressive Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made headlines when she wore a white dress to the event with the phrase “tax the rich” splashed across the back in red.

This year's theme, “Gilded Glamour,” provoked backlash among some, including Adams.

“The Gilded Age, it was a dark period, and we can't return to that period as we deal with income inequality, as we deal with embracing our immigrant population,” Adams said. “We have to face the real issues.”

Adams, a first-term mayor who campaigned on public safety, has been under pressure to curb violence in the city. A mass shooting in a Brooklyn subway station that injured at least 23 people last month drew national attention. In the first three months of this year, there have been 291 shootings in the city, up from 252 over the same period last year, according to the New York City Police Department. A 20-plus-year veteran of the NYPD, Adams has teamed up with U.S. President Joe Biden to support police and combat gun violence.