Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez suggested that the sharp rise in crime and gun violence in NYC in recent weeks is due to “desperate” people “stealing bread to feed their children.”
Shootings in the city are up significantly compared to the same time period last year. There have been close to 600 shootings in NYC so far this year, up from less than 400 at the same time a year ago.
“Do we think this has to do with the fact that there’s record unemployment in the United States right now?” she asks. “The fact that people are at a level of economic desperation that we have not seen since the Great Recession?”
“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,” the Congresswoman adds.
The surge in violence comes as the city moved to disband an entire plain-clothes unit of the police force responsible for removing guns from city streets and Mayor De Blasio moves to cut $1 billion in funding from the police budget.
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
It’s unclear how many of the shootings that have taken place so far this year occurred during bread robberies.
Photo by nrkbeta