AOC spars with former NYC police commissioner over city’s homelessness problem

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter after William Bratton, who has served as the New York City Police Commissioner, blamed the city’s Democratic government for the rampant homelessness on city subway trains.  

Bratton sent out a tweet on Wednesday with a photo of slovenly New York subway riders in various states of consciousness, some lying on the floor or chairs.

"You know why NY’s ‘recovery’ isn’t happening?" Bratton wrote. "This photo today on the E Train at 6:45 am at 42nd & 8th says it all."

You know why NY’s ‘recovery’ isn’t happening? This photo today on the E Train at 6:45am at 42nd & 8th says it all. Why should working people & tourists be subjected to this? How’s it fair to those who need services? Imagine the cops’ frustration with no support to deal with it! pic.twitter.com/rpxNh6dCCH

— Bill Bratton (@CommissBratton) December 22, 2021

"Why should working people & tourists be subjected to this?" Bratton continued. "How’s it fair to those who need services? Imagine the cops’ frustration with no support to deal with it!"

Bratton is a veteran law enforcement officer who has held top positions in the police departments of multiple cities, such as Commissioner of the Boston Police Department, Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, and two terms as New York City Police Commissioner.

Of course they’re frustrated. It’s not policing’s job or purpose to address housing, provide healthcare or counseling, or solve the reasons people sleep on the subway.

Maybe if we shifted some of that $11B/year spent on robo dogs to housing services we could get somewhere. https://t.co/LxreaoPZA6

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 23, 2021

The Twitter post went viral, prompting responses from across the left including Ocasio-Cortez, who represents parts of the city in Congress.

”Of course they're frustrated,” she tweeted in response. “It's not policing's job or purpose to address housing, provide healthcare or counseling, or solve the reasons people sleep on the subway. Maybe if we shifted some of that $11B/year spent on robo dogs to housing services we could get somewhere.”

The $11 billion figure refers to the entire New York City police budget, not the cost of the “robo dogs.” Only $94,000 from the budget was spent, back in April, to lease a police robot dog to patrol low-income neighborhoods. The robo dog was returned to Boston Dynamics following a public outcry.

Ocasio-Cortez is an outspoken advocate of the “defund the police” movement, saying in June 2020 she's “actively engaged in advocacy” for a “reduction of our NYPD budget and defunding a $6 billion NYPD budget that costs us books in the hands of our children and costs us very badly needed investment in NYCHA [New York City Housing Authority] and public housing.”

Crime in the city has surged in the wake of police reforms and negative public opinion, with more than 5,300 NYPD officers quitting or retiring in 2020 – a 75% increase from the year before.