Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Sunday that increasing crime in New York City is at least partially related to people not having enough money so they “feel like they either need to shoplift some bread or go hungry.”
Ocasio-Cortez was discussing a variety of subjects at a virtual town hall meeting that touched on policing and public security. The city agreed to defund the New York Police Department by $1 billion annually. Sixty percent of New Yorkers do not support defunding their police force and 57% oppose reducing its budget, according to a recent poll.
The congresswoman blamed rising crime in the city on a scarcity of cash, according to The Hill.
“Maybe this has to do with the fact that people aren’t paying their rent and are scared to pay their rent,” she said. “So they go out and they need to feed their child and they don’t have money so … they feel like they either need to shoplift some bread or go hungry.” (RELATED: ‘Defunding … Means Defunding’: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Not Satisfied With Cutting NYPD By $1B)
AOC on increased NYC crime: “Maybe this has to do with the fact that people aren’t paying their rent & are scared to pay their rent & so they go out & they need to feed their child & they don’t have money so… they feel like they either need to shoplift some bread or go hungry.” pic.twitter.com/oHSTWWJZ6a
— The Hill (@thehill) July 12, 2020
Ocasio-Cortez also dismissed fears that defunding the police might make matters worse in the city, as she mused that “a world where we defund the police … looks like a suburb.”
Rep. AOC: “When people ask me ‘What does a world where we defund the police look like?’, I tell them it looks like a suburb.” pic.twitter.com/yibEt18S38
— The Hill (@thehill) July 12, 2020
The congresswoman recently said that defunding the police will require some “experimentation” with public safety. (RELATED: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Calls For National Work Boycott Post-Coronavirus)
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) leaves the U.S. Capitol after passage of the stimulus bill known as the CARES Act on March 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. The stimulus bill is intended to combat the economic effects caused by the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Ocasio-Cortez also claimed that hair stylists are better trained to utilize the tools of their trade than are police officers. (RELATED: Police Unit Resigns ‘In Disgust’ After 2 Officers Suspended For Pushing Elderly Man)
“People who hold a curling iron in a hair salon have to go through more hours of training than a police officer does to wield a deadly weapon,” she said, according to The Hill.
Rep. @AOC: “People who hold a curling iron in a hair salon have to go through more hours of training than a police officer does to wield a deadly weapon.” pic.twitter.com/SDHT05wOXy
— The Hill (@thehill) July 12, 2020
Violent crime has exploded in many of America’s big cities. Since protests began after George Floyd died while in custody of the Minneapolis police, New York City has experienced over 100 shootings.