Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has slammed Mayor Adams’ tough approach to tackling the city’s crime crisis. (Photos: Franmarie Metzler; U.S. House Office of Photography (L) and (R) Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.)
April 4, 2022 By Michael Dorgan
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has slammed the mayor’s new policies aimed at tackling the city’s crime crisis.
The Queens-Bronx congresswoman took to Instagram Saturday to pan the hardline measures Mayor Eric Adams has implemented since he took office in January in order to rein in soaring levels of crime.
Ocasio-Cortez gave a thumbs-down emoji when responding to a question during a Q & A session with her followers on the social media platform. A follower had asked the progressive lawmaker for her opinion on the mayor’s policing strategies and his NYPD funding proposals.
The congresswoman ripped into some of the mayor’s crime battling policies which include bringing back plainclothes police teams and removing homeless encampments.
“Cutting virtually every city agency’s budget while raising NYPD’s, bringing back the plainclothes unit notorious for misconduct and responsible for an enormous percent of all NYC police killings, torture in the form of solitary [confinement] at Rikers and destroying homeless people’s sole belongings/shelter in the middle of winter while defunding the very shelter system they’re supposed to turn to?” Ocasio-Cortez posted to her Instagram story.
“It’s a no for me,” she wrote.
Ocasio-Cortez has been an outspoken supporter of the “defund the police” movement – and is often seen as one of its leading advocates – which rose to prominence following the death of George Floyd, who was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020. She has called for diverting much of the police budget into programs pertaining to education, housing and various social services.
However, Adams has not proposed increasing the NYPD budget. Instead, he plans on trimming it by nearly $30 million to about $5.41 billion, according to his 2023 budget proposal. The 2023 budget begins July 1.
Nevertheless, Ocasio-Cortez says that pumping large sums of money into police departments will not bring crime rates down.
“Police budgets have NOTHING to do with crime levels,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. “If they did, crime would be at their lowest rate across the country, because police have more money than ever before.”
AOC on Instagram in response to a question about Mayor Eric Adams’s policing strategy:
“It’s a no for me ??” pic.twitter.com/c9813S01BZ— Emma G. Fitzsimmons (@emmagf) April 3, 2022
The congresswoman also wrote that tough policing practices — like plainclothes units — were not the answer to rising crime levels.
In Queens, crime is up 51 percent for the year through April 3, compared to the same period a year ago, according to city data.
The Queens Post reached out to the mayor’s office for comment but has yet to receive a response.
In February, Adams brought back the plainclothes units — which were disbanded in 2020 by former Mayor Bill de Blasio – in an effort crackdown on illegal guns and major crimes. The units have netted more than 100 arrests since it launched— and nearly 70 percent of the people busted have a prior criminal history, according to the New York Post.
Ocasio-Cortez took aim at the plainclothes unit on Instagram, saying that it has been responsible for a significant portion of the deaths caused by the NYPD.
She did not provide data to support her case, although a 2018 study by The Intercept found that the NYPD’s plainclothes units were responsible for nearly one-third of the department’s fatal shootings from 2000 to the time of the study, despite making up around 5 percent of the entire police force.
Ocasio-Cortez argued that the root cause of the city’s crime crisis stems from broader social policies and that more policing would not work.
“But as long as people think we can police our way out of problems that our housing, education and healthcare policies created we are going to continue having crime and violence,” she wrote.
She characterized “violence” as something more extensive than just physical acts.
“And by violence I don’t just mean people committing it but also [the] system and [the] power committing it against people.”
Ocasio-Cortez was also critical of Adams’ approach to the homeless crisis, such as sending cops into transit hubs to get rid of people who loiter in the subway system. The city has also been removing homeless encampments in an effort to connect people living on the street with social services and shelters.
She also opposes Adams’ plan to cut the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) budget from around $2.8 billion to $2.15 billion in the upcoming fiscal year—although a large portion of the reduction is tied to the loss of $500 million in COVID-related federal funding allocated to the agency, according to City Limits.
The city, however, would direct less money to adult shelters in the upcoming fiscal year, according to his proposal.
Ocasio-Cortez also called out the city’s use of solitary confinement at Rikers Island prison, labeling it as torture, while she ended the segment by writing that the U.S. military sends money to police departments.
“Did you know that even the U.S. military spending also gets funneled to police departments?” she wrote.
“It’s called program 1033. Google it.”
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33 Comments
Protected AOC says we don’t need more cops, just more “services” and “programs,” and then crime will go down. Gotcha. More upside-down thinking from the woman who chased Amazon’s 25,000 jobs from our area.
She couldn’t be more out of touch with reality. You need BOTH methods. You need harsh punishment for repeat offenders (They are a lost cause) and the adequate services and resources so that people won’t have to resort to crime.
NY deserves much better than AOC, a lot more.
Maybe AOC should spend her next break in her Queens district rather than in Florida. Come on over and tell us your plan for dealing with the crime issues. Might want to leave your purse at home.
Yeah, how dare she vacation in Florida! You never saw Trump or anyone on the right doing that ?
The tds runs deep in you
Please get help
Don’t compare her to the former guy. Partying maskless in Miami when Omicron was raging was not responsible or a good idea.
NYC Crime rates are out of control and she needs to see it for herself. No emojis needed.
I can’t understand why progressives choose to side with criminals over victims. What I do know is that it will be the downfall of the Democrats if they keep leaning in this direction. People want to be safe.
i highly doubt it. the bronx that voted her to get re-elected is ok with the dangerously high crime. seems like they like it and that’s what AOC did for them. and likely the crime will skyrocket even higher and they will vote her in again.
Her district also includes parts of northern Queens.
Most if not all her supporters in her district who voted for her agree with AOC and Caban. Astoria is the epicenter of the progressive movement in Queens.
I propose making Astoria the epicenter of homeless encampments, so that young progressives can show the world how to truly fight homelessness and crime, instead of sipping $10 lattes and paying lip service to hot-button issues.
AOC never addresses the crime and violence. Certain people can’t or won’t live by the law so her answer is “ the law is unfair”and needs to be taken off the books. It’s idiocy. We need to push the party back to the center.
She doesn’t make or enforce our state laws.
Gardens watcher – nobody said anything about state laws
all felony crimes on the books in NY are state laws(unless they violate federal laws)…we are talking about serious crimes in this article…they are all regarding state laws…that is why the charges are always listed as “the people of the state of NY vs.”
Go Mayor Adams!
AOC is ticked at you. So, you must be doing thinks right.
It’s ok everyone, she texted an emoji, were saved!!! She’s Completely and totally outta touch with what we deal with every day. But she’s an upstate carpet bagger and that’s ok with you guys. Keep re-electing people based on their twitter, it’s working out so well for us who actually live here.
…it’s not like he had political experience. You’re saying that was a bad idea?
Trump Derangement Syndrome is strong with this one. Not a word about him in my comments or him having anything to do with thread , but you gotta bring him up. Amazing how he lives in your head rent free. Don’t go boiling any rabbits in peoples homes please.
I didn’t vote for him. Why did you vote for him based on his Twitter? That seems like a silly idea.
This woman is a fool. This is the reason crime is so high because of politicians like her. Put the blame where it belongs on the criminal.
I have grown tomatoes with a higher IQ than this marxist clown.
Liberals love criminals. Law-abiding citizens, not so much.
I understand that calling her a “clown” is about the most nuanced criticism you can muster. We’ve moved on from “bartender” I guess?
Any thoughts on the mayor’s new policies or anything specific to this article?
‘Barmaid’ is the correct term.
I love how you try to insult her intelligence and then proceed to call her a marxist and a liberal, two very different things. Its always the people that questions other peoples “IQ” that have the mental capacity of a rock. I’d love to hear what your definition of a marxist is and what a liberal is, well I guess I’d like to hear what Fox News is saying since you people don’t actually think for yourself. Does Tucker throw all the buzzwords, “liberal”, “marxist”, in every program? For everyone’s sake you should change the channel for once.
I bow to your to your sagacity. You must only read the New York Times and watch MSNBC, so clearly you are amazingly enlightened and superior in mind and understanding to the rest of us mortals, plodding along in our mundane lives dodging hammers, machetes, knives, fists and shoves.
You have no idea what my views are, bail reform was a gigantic screw up in my opinion.. But of course you guys cant answer a question. Marxism and Liberalism are the same thing then right, is that what you’re? I actually pointed out how stupid you guys are because you don’t know what words mean and treat it like a sport team. You all literally only use buzzwords with absolutely no substance. You make too many assumptions about people based on a question about definitions of political leanings. You can talk all you want about how bad certain media conglomerates are and I most like won’t argue with you, however Fox News is by far the most misleading network out there and the original comment and your “rebuttal” implying I’m an elitist liberal is proof. You guys have no original thoughts, you’re all just parrots.
Thanks for agreeing that bail reform was a huge mistake 😆
Are you going to cry? Your feelings get hurt because someone called the hypocrisy of your criticism? Aren’t you the one who assumes all conservatives watch Fox News or are “Trumpers?” Now you are defending yourself that you don’t watch these leftist shows and you are some sort of free thinker? LMAO! I blame the SSP for posting so much of your repetitive dribble – who’s the real parrot? I and other posters have tried to challenge you with retorts, but SSP rarely posts them as they clearly side with your elitist views. Now you are picking on people for not knowing the difference between a Marxist and a liberal?!?!? Yes, they are different but they both fall in the mantra of what the left preaches. Economic equality, no social classes, rights for criminals, rights for prisoners, right to use pronouns, etc. all fall on the same boat as what you Cortez, Caban, Ramos, Won and the rest of the rainbows and unicorn movement preach, so excuse the posters for their mistake. LMAO! And what makes you think you are intellectually superior than all of us? Aren’t you the same poster who dismissed an Asian man for siding with the right when discussing Asian hate crimes? Do you really know more than someone who actually lives it everyday? Aren’t you the same person who verbally attacks Boondy on his posts? How you get away from directly insulting him while myself and others get censored for… facts is unbelievable. You can have your little diatribe on how people with opposing political views are inferior to you, but you have been exposed repeatedly. With the post on your side, your feeling of self satisfaction will never die, but as long as real free thinkers are here, your dribble will always be checked.
Oh yes because the Clinton news network and mslsd are soooo enlightening
Default to the boogie man just as your handlers at Fox has trained you.,
These days my definition of a marxist and a liberal are the same, except that the latter is generally unaware of this. Hopefully more of them wake up and realize that marxists are attempting to take over the party. How do I know? Among other things, marxists hate free speech, don’t care about facts, will lie through their teeth, and love “cancelling” people.