CONGRESSWOMAN TAKES NYC RISING CRIME SERIOUSLY
NEW YORK, United States (China Daily) — The recent rise in violent crime in New York City was grounds Monday for a heated exchange involving the White House, Republicans and US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat.
The White House called preposterous.
Ocasio-Cortez, 30, known as “AOC,” a rising star in the Democratic Party from New York City, reiterated Monday that high unemployment and economic problems caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic are a factor in an increase in crime in New York City, which the White House called “preposterous.”
“I do think that even when you talk about violent crime, I don’t think that poverty and economic desperation are separate from that either,” Ocasio-Cortez said during a campaign-sponsored food-distribution event outside Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Corona, Queens, the New York Post reported.
“When families don’t have money, a lot of times young people and teens that feel like they need to support their mom, sometimes they’ll turn to selling drugs, which can then lead to an escalated level of trouble, to what police label as gang activity,” the Bronx native said.
She also noted that 25 percent of New Yorkers were unable to make their rent payments in recent months.
“I take this issue seriously,” Ocasio-Cortez also tweeted. “Unlike many of GOP pundits theorizing from suburban homes, I’ve had multiple family members shot, shot at, stabbed, etc. Crime + community violence isn’t some thought experiment to project your thoughts & theories abt communities you’ve never met.”
White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany blamed the congresswoman and other political progressives for moving to limit the role of police.