(Headline USA) Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., blasted New York City Mayor Eric Adams this week for increasing police wages for the New York City Police Department, claiming the Democrat mayor is “defunding safety” and “militarizing” law enforcement.
During an interview with The Daily Show, Ocasio-Cortez said the additional funding for police officer salaries should be redirected to public schools and violence prevention programs.
“We’re now at a point where officially, most officers are paid more than a teacher with a master’s degree serving the same kids, involved in the same [violent] incidents,” she said.
“We are defunding safety. Defunding our public schools. Defunding our public pools. Defunding our parks. Defunding our libraries. When we are taking all of those resources and demanding every single department except the militarized ones be cut, we are sending a message about who and what we care about,” Ocasio-Cortez continued.
Adams recently announced the additional funding after negotiating with the NYPD’s union. The increased salaries are meant to help the NYPD make up for a mass exodus of officers.
Under the agreement, new NYPD officers would begin making $60,000, including holiday pay and a uniform allowance, starting in August.
The average New York City public school teacher makes a starting salary of $61,070 if he has a bachelors’ degree, and $83,972 if he has a master’s degree with eight years prior teaching experience, according to the city’s Education Department.
Aside from union issues, the NYPD has been battered by an exodus of officers, while the city’s crime rate continues to climb.
Ocasio-Cortez also took aim at Adams last week over his support for a plan to move 250,000 retired city workers off of government-funded Medicare and into a privately managed version of the program.
“It’s a bad decision. It is not good,” Ocasio-Cortez during a virtual town hall Thursday. “This is something I oppose. We are in this fight with you and we oppose this shift.”
