New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) says there are a variety of reasons why New York City is seeing an uptick in crime.
But he is ruling out the idea that an inability to pay rent is leading to crime.
During his press conference on Monday, Cuomo was asked about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.) recent claim that the uptick in crime is related to tenants who are struggling to pay their rent due to the coronavirus shutdowns.
He said, “An incorrect theory doesn’t wind up being correct because there’s a void.”
“I think there are a number of contributing factors, and you put all those factors together, and that’s what you’re seeing going. It’s no one factor … you know in politics they want to be able to say it’s just this,” he said.
Instead, he expressed his belief that violent crimes are drug-related.
Additionally, Cuomo flatly rejected the idea that the inability to pay rent would lead to crime due to the Tenant Safe Harbor Act that prevents tenants from being evicted for failure to pay their rent during the pandemic.
“It is factually impossible that somebody committed a crime so they could pay their rent,” Cuomo said, adding, “If you can’t pay your rent, you cannot be evicted right now.”
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During a recent town hall event, Ocasio-Cortez addressed the uptick and crime and suggested it was due to financial hardships that resulted from the coronavirus shutdowns, “Do we think this has to do with the fact that there’s record unemployment in the United States right now? The fact that people are at a level of economic desperation that we have not seen since the Great Recession?”
“Maybe this has to do with the fact that people aren’t paying their rent and are scared to pay their rent, and 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,” she added.
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
Her comments came after the city saw the number of shootings rise over the weekend. There were more than 24 shootings over the weekend, which left at least 34 injured.
A one-year-old boy was killed during a shooting on Sunday.