Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez aka AOC aka the representative of NY's 14th Congressional District can claim her first legit political win–Amazon has abandoned plans for a NYC headquarters in Long Island City Queens.
“Anything is possible: today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers & their neighbors defeated Amazon's corporate greed, its worker exploitation, and the power of the richest man in the world,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
Anything is possible: today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers & their neighbors defeated Amazon's corporate greed, its worker exploitation, and the power of the richest man in the world. https://t.co/nyvm5vtH9k
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 14, 2019
In a statement Amazon said: “After much thought and deliberation, we've decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens. For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term. While polls show that 70 percent of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City.”
While never mentioned by name AOC has been the one consistent political voice of dissent on what was an otherwise great talking point on NY boosterism for Governor Andrew Cuomo.
AOC has been a vocal opponent of the deal to lure the online retail giant to Long Island City — which would've given Amazon $3 billion in city and state subsidies in exchange for bringing a projected 25,000 jobs to the area.
But it would also have upended the neighborhood and probably led to squeezing out of the middle class community there.
A self-identified Republican who lives in the neighborhood and would only give the name Nadia said, “I hope she's happy–there go all the jobs. For Ocasio-Ortez this is the equivalent of Trump getting his wall.”
