AOC goes to war with former NYPD commissioner over homeless living on NYC subway

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has blasted former NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton for referring to homeless people living on the New York City subway as “furniture”.

The New York Representative responded to a viral tweet from Mr Bratton about homeless sleeping on an E Train during the Wednesday morning rush hour.

“You know why NY’s ‘recovery’ isn’t happening?” Mr Bratton asked.

“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!”

Ms Ocasio-Cortez fumed in response that it wasn’t the NYPD’s job to address housing, provide healthcare of counselling.

“Of course they’re frustrated,” she tweeted.

“Maybe if we shifted some of that $11B/year spent on robo dogs to housing services we could get somewhere”

She continued that homeless people were often employed, veterans or disabled.

“Why should THESE folks be subjected to unnecessary homelessness in one of the richest cities in the world where 1000s of apartments are vacant?

“It’s truly frustrating that Dems & GOP alike water this down into some non-evidence based electoral boogey monster.”

She went on to criticise Mr Bratton for “dehumanising” poor people.

“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.”

According to figures from the Coalition for the Homeless, there were 47,916 homeless people, including 14,946 children, in August 2021, the highest number since the Great Depression.

AOC, as the Congresswoman is widely referred to, is a supporter of the “defund the police” movement which calls for police funding to be redirected to social services.

Mr Bratton led the NYPD from 1994 to 1996 and was reappointed by Bill De Blasio for a second term from 2014 to 2016.

He was credited with reducing violent crime in New York during his first term by promoting the “broken windows theory”, which asserts that any visible signs of crime and civil disorder creates an environment that encourages more serious offending.