Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defended calls to defund police departments across the U.S., saying activists should not change the slogan to “make it palatable” for white, suburban swing voters.

“Our job as policymakers is to take the public’s mandate and find + create pockets to advance as much progress as possible. Progress takes a team of different roles. You don’t criticize a pitcher for not being a catcher,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Tuesday. “And by the way, the fact that ppl are scrambling to repackage this whole conversation to make it palatable for largely affluent, white suburban ‘swing’ voters again points to how much more electoral & structural power these communities have relative to others.”

Our job as policymakers is to take the public’s mandate and find + create pockets to advance as much progress as possible.

Progress takes a team of different roles. You don’t criticize a pitcher for not being a catcher.

We can respond in ways that don’t undercut impt work

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 9, 2020

And by the way, the fact that ppl are scrambling to repackage this whole conversation to make it palatable for largely affluent, white suburban “swing” voters again points to how much more electoral & structural power these communities have relative to others

Just for awareness!

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 9, 2020

Calls to defund U.S. police departments have grown louder on the left since the death of George Floyd late last month, with activists groups including Black Lives Matter demanding the abolition of police departments across the country. (RELATED: Washington DC Renames Part Of Street Near White House ‘Black Lives Matter Plaza’)

Congressional Democrats unveiled legislation Monday that would significantly reform police departments in the U.S. following Floyd’s death. The Justice in Policing Act would ban police chokeholds, prohibit no-knock warrants in drug cases and create a National Police Misconduct Registry, among other things. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that he asked Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott to lead the effort to craft a Senate proposal that would reform policing nationwide.