Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) blasted former New York City Police Commission Bill Bratton for asking why “working people” should be “subjected to” apparently homeless people sleeping on subway cars.
On Thursday, Bratton tweeted a picture of people who were apparently homeless sleeping on a subway.
He wrote, “You know why NY’s ‘recovery’ isn’t happening? This photo today on the E Train at 6:45am at 42nd [and] 8th says it all. Why should working people [and] 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!”
“The new Mayor & Police Commissioner have their work cut out for them trying to fix this mess our political leadership [and] DAs have created by tying the hands of the NYPD. We fixed this 30 years ago when Eric Adams was a Transit cop. It’s going to be a lot more difficult in 2022,” Bratton added.
The new Mayor & Police Commissioner have their work cut out for them trying to fix this mess our political leadership & DAs have created by tying the hands of the NYPD. We fixed this 30 years ago when Eric Adams was a Transit cop. It’s going to be a lot more difficult in 2022.
— Bill Bratton (@CommissBratton) December 22, 2021
Ocasio-Cortez reacted on Twitter, “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,” she continued.
She went on to take issue with Bratton asking “why should working people be subjected to this?”
Also, “why should working people be subjected to this?” —
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 23, 2021
1. Homeless people often ARE working people, veterans, and/or disabled
2. Why should THESE folks be subjected to unnecessary homelessness in one of the richest cities in the world where 1000s of apartments are vacant?
“Why should THESE folks be subjected to unnecessary homelessness in one of the richest cities in the world where 1000s of apartments are vacant?” the Congresswoman responded.
Finally, Ocasio-Cortez wrote, “I truly will never adjust to how normal it is in our country to completely dehumanize people once they fall below a certain income.”
“This is a [former] police commissioner talking about [people] like furniture or animals when his job ostensibly was to protect them too. Telling on himself,” she added.