AOC joins critics of NYPD dance team, but for a very different reason

The progressive Squad's Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., joined critics of the New York City Police Department's dance team – but not over concerns about crime. 

"How many school music programs got defunded for this," AOC, who notoriously has supported the defund the police movement, wrote on X. 

The NYPD's dance team recently performed live for the local PIX 11 news station, sparking swift condemnation online that the department is not focusing on combating crime or enforcing the law. Other critics who spoke to Fox News Digital said they found the video offensive not only to taxpayers, but also to women who work in law enforcement. 

"If that's what you need to do, do that on your own time. At a time when violent crime is off the roof in New York City, this is not appropriate," Nicole Parker, a former FBI agent and Fox News Contributor, told Fox News Digital. "This is not keeping the community safe and is very concerning." 

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Replying to Ocasio-Cortez's reaction, some X users – while still condemning the seven-member police dance team's performance – said the congresswoman missed the mark. 

"How many people in your district are getting screwed over by the migrant invasion?" one user said. 

"How many school music programs could we fund if we got rid of useless, harmful politicians like you?" another asked. 

"Isn’t this the type of police that you like, the ones who don’t actually enforce laws," a third person wrote.

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Last April, Ocasio-Cortez notably criticized New York City Mayor Eric Adams for increasing police salaries – a move that came following years of law enforcement recruitment and retention woes in the wake of 2020 racial justice protests and riots, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent vaccine mandates. AOC took issue with how most officers "are paid more than a teacher with a master’s degree serving the same kids involved in the same incidents." 

"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 that every single department, except the militarized one, be cut," she said at the time. 

The viral police dance crew video comes at a time when New York City is strapped for resources in managing the influx of more than 170,000 migrants. 

On Jan. 27, a gang of migrants was accused of attacking two NYPD officers in Times Square. A week and a half later, on Feb. 8, a teenage migrant allegedly shot a woman at a Times Square clothing store before opening fire on NYPD officers.

The NYPD released the citywide January crime statistics showing that robbery increased by nearly 6% as well as a small increase in grand larceny. Authorities added that crimes in the subway and transit systems, which accounts for just 2% of all major crime committed in New York City, saw an increase of 70 index crimes (222 vs. 152) in January.

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Authorities claim that there are continued declines across most major crime categories, compared to the first month of last year, which included substantial drops in murder, rape, burglary, and felony assault – despite the most recent rise in violent crimes over the last month.  

Fox News' Stepheny Price contributed to this report.