AOC says Daunte Wright death no ‘accident,’ instead part of ‘indefensible system’
The second-term "Squad" congresswoman described the shooting as part of a "systemic problem"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In Twitter posts Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez opposed the argument that Daunte Wright’s shooting death in Minnesota was an "accident," as police have claimed.
Instead, the New York Democrat claimed the death resulted from "an indefensible system that grants impunity for state violence."
On Sunday, Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police Officer Kim Potter mistakenly grabbed her gun instead of a stun gun before she fired at Wright, killing him, police Chief Tim Gannon claimed Monday, citing the sound of an officer’s voice shouting "Taser! Taser! Taser!" on a police video of the incident.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Both Gannon and Potter submitted their resignations Tuesday, police have said.
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"Daunte Wright’s killing was not a random, disconnected ‘accident,’" Ocasio-Cortez wrote, "it was the repeated outcome of an indefensible system that grants impunity for state violence, rewards it w/ endlessly growing budgets at the cost of community investment, & targets those who question that order."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In an additional post, the second-term "Squad" congresswoman described the shooting as part of a "systemic problem."
"Cameras, chokehold bans, ‘retraining’ funds, and similar reform measures do not ultimately solve what is a systemic problem," she wrote.
"That system will find a way," she continued, "killings happen on camera, people are killed in other ways, retraining grows $ while often substituting for deeper measures."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks on Capitol Hill, Aug. 24, 2020. (Associated Press)
Last November, after a string of progressive Democrats failed to win at the polls, Ocasio-Cortez found herself having to defend the "Defund the police" efforts that she had supported. Proponents of the plan aim to redirect public money away from traditional police expenses and toward other methods such as mental health treatment and community engagement.
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"Our [police budget] is too high," she said during a virtual town hall meeting with her constituents in New York City, citing a $6 billion figure for funding the city’s police department.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We need to invest in those other types of safety," she added later.
Prior to Wright’s death, the "Defund the police" effort appeared to be having an adverse effect, as several cities that redirected funds saw increases in homicides and other crimes. They included Austin, Texas; Los Angeles; Minneapolis, New York City and Portland, Oregon.