AOC is underwater following a controversial statement regarding the incident involving a black man who was arrested and died on a New York subway.
In her tweet, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claims that Jordan Neely’s death after being forcefully restrained on the metro due to threatening passengers was murder.
In addition to citing many sources that discuss the difficulties experienced by people with mental health troubles, the left-wing lawmaker also asserted that Neely’s mental health issues were the reason he was “murdered.”
“Jordan Neely was murdered. But bc Jordan was houseless and crying for food in a time when the city is raising rents and stripping services to militarize itself while many in power demonize the poor, the murderer gets protected w/ passive headlines + no charges. It’s disgusting,” the representative tweeted.
People w/ mental health conditions make up 53% of the population at Rikers.
On average, they are held 61% longer.
We pay $556,000 per person annually to keep them in jail. 90% on Rikers are held without conviction.
By contrast, it costs ~$42k to put them in supportive housing.— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 4, 2023
She criticized the way that crime is often used as a political tool, and that politicians and the media often make use of headlines about crime, promoting a “tough on crime” agenda.
When a public murder happens that reinforces existing power structures, such as the murder of a homeless person by a police officer, these same forces often rush to absolve the perpetrator, which should not be allowed to continue.
However, what Ocasio-Cortez neglected to mention, however, is the fact that Neely’s difficulties escalated on the New York subway because of the policies she supports, specifically being lax on crime.
It was reported that Neely had been arrested numerous times and was captured on video harassing individuals prior to being forcibly restrained by a US Marine and other men.
When expressing her thoughts on Twitter, Ocasio-Cortez obviously failed to get into much detail regarding Neely’s previous history.
Americans have the freedom to ride public transportation without fear for their life, despite what many on the left have said. Neely was in fact generating issues and acting in a dangerous manner before being restrained.
However, if any of the accusations from his earlier detentions had been proven true, Neely might have been able to get the support he desperately needed.
Crime is increasing more than ever in places on the left. This is mostly a result of law enforcement being underfunded and ignored while criminals are treated in an overly considerate manner, giving them more confidence because they realize that their chances of getting punished for their actions have decreased.
