AOC Attempts to Distance DNC From BLM: ‘The Idea That Politicians Can Control Activist Messaging Doesn’t Make Sense’

Newly re-elected New York House Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responded this morning to a Daily Beast reporter, Matthew Chapman, who was discussing the situation around Black Lives Matter and the idea of defunding the police.

AOC said that “This was a call from communities that unfolded in real-time. Activists don’t focus group. BLM is not the DNC. It’s a pols’ job to own their message. Btw, it was effective-NYC is shifting to mental health workers at some 911 calls & policies changed faster than an election cycle.”

The Congresswoman then added, “The idea that politicians can control activist messaging doesn’t make sense. They don’t work for us. Our job is to listen and develop our message, own it, win, & lead. Civil rights movement didn’t poll well at the time either. MLK was disliked. Does that mean he wasn’t effective?”

The idea that politicians can control activist messaging doesn’t make sense. They don’t work for us.

Our job is to listen and develop our message, own it, win,& lead. Civil rights movement didn’t poll well at the time either. MLK was disliked. Does that mean he wasn’t effective?

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 11, 2020

For his part Chapman had tweeted, “Stop saying ‘defund the police.’ Poll after poll after poll is clear. The public supports funding social services that fill some roles police currently have, but they DON’T support defunding the police. I don’t care if you think those are the same thing. Voters don’t.”

“There are neighborhoods in some cities where police are actually *underfunded* for their essential roles, and response times are low for people reporting crimes, accidents, etc. Police nonresponse hurts POC as much as police brutality. Defund activists have no answer for this,” Chapman continued.

Chapman then shared a New York Times op-ed and mocked people who say, “BuT wE dOn’T lItErAlLy MeAn GeT rId Of ThE pOlIcE!” He encouraged them to “find a new damn slogan, because at least some of the people chanting it with you do, in fact, literally mean that.”

"BuT wE dOn'T lItErAlLy MeAn GeT rId Of ThE pOlIcE!"

Then find a new damn slogan, because at least some of the people chanting it with you do, in fact, literally mean that. https://t.co/mYlZXncoaH

— Matthew Chapman (@fawfulfan) November 11, 2020

Chapman added a series of tweets to further explain his position and concluded by saying, “Dems very much got the ball rolling on justice reform and their actual ideas on how to hold police accountable to their communities poll very well.”

“If we blow this moment because of a stupid three-word slogan and let the GOP look like the reasonable ones, we deserve what we get,” he added.

Dems very much got the ball rolling on justice reform and their actual ideas on how to hold police accountable to their communities poll very well.

If we blow this moment because of a stupid three-word slogan and let the GOP look like the reasonable ones, we deserve what we get.

— Matthew Chapman (@fawfulfan) November 11, 2020