In this April 14, 2020 photo, Democratic Congresswoman from New York Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks during a press conference in the Corona neighbourhood of Queens in New York City. (JOHANNES EISELE / AFP)

A recent rise in violent crimes in New York City set the scene on Monday for a heated exchange between the White House and US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat.

Ocasio-Cortez reiterated that high unemployment and economic problems caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic are factors in the increase in crime in New York City

Ocasio-Cortez, 30, known to her fans as "AOC", a rising star in the Democratic Party from New York City, reiterated on Monday that high unemployment and economic problems caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic are factors in the increase in crime in the city; the White House dismissed her claim as preposterous.

"I do think that even when you talk about violent crime, I don't think that poverty and economic desperation are separate from that either," Ocasio-Cortez said at a campaign-sponsored food-distribution event outside Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Corona, Queens, the New York Post reported.

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"When families don't have money, a lot of times young people and teens that feel like they need to support their mom, sometimes they'll turn to selling drugs," the Bronx native said.

In a tweet, she said: "Unlike many of GOP pundits theorizing from suburban homes, I've had multiple family members shot, shot at, stabbed, etc." 

White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany blamed the congresswoman and other political progressives for moving to limit the role of police.

"You have, most egregious of all, really, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez saying defund the police means defund the police. She criticized of course the announcement of US$1.5 billion being taken down from NYPD (that the cut wasn't enough)," McEnany told reporters at the White House.

"And this weekend, when faced with 28 shootings in New York, a 600 percent increase from this time last year, you have Representative Ocasio-Cortez saying this is just because people are trying to get food with their families.

"That is preposterous," the spokeswoman for Republican President Donald Trump said.

She said 63 percent of people in the US fear that criticism of police departments will lead to no public safety in their streets－"and 69 percent of black Americans", the spokeswoman highlighted.

"This is a real issue when you call our police cancer, when you talk about dismantling them. And then this weekend in New York, you see a 1-year-old killed in his stroller," McEnany said. "His name was Davelle Gardner Jr and that 1-year-old will be in our prayers."

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The New York Police Department, or NYPD, on Monday reported that 35 people were shot in 28 shootings over the weekend. The only fatality was that of Davelle Gardner Jr. He was shot while at a cookout in Brooklyn. Three men also were shot at the scene.

At a news conference on Monday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said of the rising crime: "So many people don't have anything to do. They don't have anywhere to go. They don't have a job, they can't go to school, they are dealing with so many challenges."

The mayor supported Police Commissioner Dermot Shea's announcement on June 15 that 600 members of an undercover unit that was tasked with getting illegal guns off the street would be reassigned.