NYPD Slammed for “Framing” Poor People Accused of Stealing Baby Items and Medicines – NBC New York (47)

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized the New York Police “for exhibiting as monsters” a group of people arrested for allegedly stealing baby supplies and medicines, this after the uniformed officer tweeted an image of the recovered merchandise.

“After receiving numerous reports of shoplifting in the Bronx, @NYPD44Pct officers recently arrested 12 people following an enforcement initiative targeting shoplifters. The arrests made led to the closing of 23 warrants and the recovery of $1,800 in merchandise,” the New York Police Department tweeted Wednesday, though it later deleted the post.

The post contained an image of numerous products, including diapers, baby formula, baby wipes, laundry detergent, shower gel, baby shampoo, lotions, and over-the-counter medications.

“When I talk about violent conditions, this is what I mean,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a Wednesday afternoon tweet.

“But hey, it’s much easier to portray people who steal baby formula and medicine as monsters to get incarcerated than it is to recognize that our political and economic priorities create conditions in which people steal baby formula to survive,” he added.

“The Child Tax Credit expired on December 31 and was the lifeline for many people to feed and clothe their children. Politicians let it expire overnight and just shrugged it off, but now they want to fuel the sensationalism around crime by acting like shoplifting had nothing to do with their actions. Despicable,” tweeted the congresswoman.

But Ocasio-Cortez was just one of several people who criticized the NYPD’s tweet.

In a tweet, journalist Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg wrote that one of those arrested was reportedly a 64-year-old woman living in a homeless shelter.

“The New York Police Department deleted this tweet, but the fact is that they proudly showed that they caught people using diapers and cough medicine. Basic necessities. This is not public safety. This is cruelty on display,” he wrote. Eliza Orlins, former candidate for the Manhattan District Attorney.

Shoplifting increased significantly during the pandemic, which is why several businesses increased surveillance and security measures in their establishments, as well as collaboration with the police.

On Wednesday, Adams unveiled a $98 million city budget that would cut 10,000 city workers and most city agency budgets by 3 percent. The plan would also cut the NYPD budget by nearly $30 million, to about $5.41 billion.

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