Earlier this week, freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) defended cuts to the New York City Police Department (NYPD), saying an uptick in crime proves the police are ineffective. According to the freshman congresswoman, the real reason crime is rising is because people are struggling to pay their rent and feed their children.
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
Conservatives pointed out the obvious flaws in AOC's thinking. Naturally, she took that as a win.
Republicans are all upset that I’m connecting the dots between poverty and crime.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 13, 2020
I know most of them haven’t experienced or seen these issues first hand, but I have.
This may be hard for them to admit, but poverty and crime are highly linked, both violent & nonviolent alike. https://t.co/4t34dCLZlw
Dana Loesch corrected Ocasio-Cortez's take on defunding the police and reminded the congresswoman that she's far more privileged than she lets on.
Crime is up because you and others pushed for a reduction in both policing and penalities. Also, whenever you want to talk about poverty, I’m happy to tell you about how hard it was for my single mom and me when I was growing up — and it wasn’t in tony *Westchester.* https://t.co/HUJdpQbbop
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) July 13, 2020
AOC can't defend any of her policies so she resorts to attacking Loesch for being a former spokesperson for the National Rifle Association (as if that has anything to do with the topic at hand).
None of these policing reductions have even *happened yet.*
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 13, 2020
So a spike is happening WITH a $6 billion dollar NYPD budget.
You either know this & are intentionally lying, or you‘re a bad spokeswoman & haven’t verified your claims.
Given your work with @NRA it’s probably both. https://t.co/vHtq04ei86
It’s not as though a vote happens and the full sum of money disappears the next day. That not how it works.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 13, 2020
People who study crime know that (despite how many pundits pretend otherwise), *causes of crime are complex* and there are few neat and tidy causal relationships.
In a roundabout way, AOC advocated for keeping the NYPD's budget as is. If there's an uptick in crime before budget cuts, why would you get rid of officers? Wouldn't that mean that crime would continue to skyrocket?
So ... there is an increase in crime before you cut the budget and you still supporting cutting the budget? Great logic there, Ms. Westchester.
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) July 13, 2020
Also, before you reach for a weak reed of ergo decedo, I'm not a spokeswoman for anyone but myself. https://t.co/rMvM3S5KwO
Additionally @AOC , your response overlooks the main points: policing (morale) and penalty reduction fueling recidivism. Why have NYPD retirement filings exploded by 41%? That’s already happening. https://t.co/5xacDUdFtb
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) July 13, 2020
I’m also fascinated by the casual acceptance of her absolutely classist argument on poverty being inextricably linked to crime. Easy for a limousine liberal to make such a ridiculous argument as a deflection for her and her party’s bad policy, but not as easy to prove it.
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) July 13, 2020
Also fascinating: the political poverty chic portrayed by so many well-heeled progressive activists.
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) July 13, 2020
Dana must have struck a nerve because Ocasio-Cortez magically disappeared and never responded yet again.
AOC, however, is indicative of a lot of the folks on the left. So many want to make themselves out to be people who grew up in bad neighborhoods and overcame adversity. It makes for a good story. As much as she claims to be from the Bronx, Brooklyn grew up in an affluent area. She went to a private university in Boston. For her to talk about fixing things for the poor is amazing, especially when she does it from a pedestal.
The truth is cops have a target – a literal target – on their back. The left has vilified them and made them out to be monsters when the majority of them want to serve their community with honor and respect. It's why so many officers are flocking to retirement.
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