Radical Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is facing backlash after suggesting that “housing policy” and “economic insecurity” were responsible for the brutal stabbing death of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte, North Carolina, commuter train.
Zarutska was murdered on August 22 by 34-year-old DeCarlos Brown Jr., a career criminal with at least 14 prior arrests.
Brown fatally stabbed Zarutska three times in the neck in a shocking, unprovoked attack.
Despite a lengthy rap sheet that included armed robbery, breaking and entering, and felony larceny, he had been released from prison in January on a mere “written promise” to appear in court.
“We are absolutely seeing in places across the country, I think, is an increase in emotionally-disturbed individuals on public transit,” Ocasio-Cortez told the Daily Caller.
“We are seeing a surge in homelessness.
“Many times, people descend into further stages of mental illness, increased propensity to violence, once they are in a place of homelessness.”
She added, “I think a lot of this has to do with housing policy.
“I think a lot of this has to do with economic insecurity as well.”
When pressed on whether soft-on-crime Democrat policies enabled Brown’s release, AOC dodged the question.
The New