While Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez travels the country promoting progressive policies and criticizing law enforcement, residents in her own congressional district say they’re grappling with a surge in crime—and have reached a breaking point.
Since Ocasio-Cortez took office in 2019, major crimes in her Queens and Bronx district have risen by 70%, more than twice the 30% increase recorded citywide, according to NYPD data reviewed by the New York Post. In some areas, such as the 110th Precinct in Queens, the spike is even more dramatic, with crime rising 105% since she entered Congress.
Residents say the surge isn’t just numbers, it’s what they live every day of their lives. “She’s not doing s–t. She doesn’t live in the neighborhood, she doesn’t care,” Guadelupe Alvarez, a lifelong Elmhurst resident who now lives across from a brothel, told the New York Post. “I could never have a family here,” she added, after witnessing gang violence, car thefts and open-air prostitution steps from her door.
Alvarez confronted Ocasio-Cortez at a town hall, only to be brushed off and referred to a staffer. “She did a very silent exit through the back,” Alvarez told The Post. Others, like Ramses Frias, a Republican City Council candidate, echoed the frustration. “You have a mouth to speak up. People are suffering. They’re scared to go outside,” he told the outlet.
AOC’s district saw a 70% crime surge – more than double NYC average: ‘She doesn’t care’ https://t.co/KPIZxXWFwZ pic.twitter.com/9Sq7nGWWjE
— New York Post (@nypost) May 17, 2025
Critics are directly tying the rise in lawlessness to AOC’s aggressive anti-police rhetoric. At the height of the “Defund the Police” movement, Ocasio-Cortez said a $1.5 billion cut to the NYPD didn’t go far enough, saying in 2020, “Defunding police means defunding police.” The NYPD cancelled a cadet class that same year that could have added some 1,100 more officers to the force.
Despite the struggles her district is facing, AOC has not spoken out about the crisis. While residents are urging the federal government for assistance, AOC has concentrated on making appearances in national media and pursuing progressive initiatives, far removed from the neighborhoods that her constituents describe as becoming increasingly dangerous.
“She talks about helping the poor, but the poor in her own district are scared to walk down the street,” Betsy Brantner Smith of the National Police Association told the New York Post. “If you don’t feel safe, you’re not free.”
