NEW YORK, NY – New York City Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has spoken out against pay raises for New York City police officers approved this week by Mayor Eric Adams.
During a press conference on Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams and NYC Office of Labor Relations Commissioner Renee Campion announced that the New York Police Department will receive a raise. This comes as other city agencies are being asked to make significant budget cuts. The eight-year tentative contract with the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association will provide around 23,000 NYPD officers their first raises in six years.
Not everyone in New York City was happy about cops getting raises.
Firebrand New York City Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez didn’t want to see the NYPD get the funds.
She said the NYPD has become ‘militarized’ and that city officials are sending the wrong messages.
“Most officers are paid more than a teacher with a master’s degree serving these same kids involved in these same incidents we are defunding safety,” she said. “Defunding our public schools, defunding, defunding our Parks, defunding our libraries when we are taking all of those resources and demanding that every single Department except the militarized one because we are sending a message about who and what we care about.”