Source: In These Times
by Calvin John Smiley
“In August, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) stated, ’Woke 1 was crazy!’ on ABC’s ’This Week’ news show. She borrowed the phrase from her New York colleague City Councilman Chi Ossé, who had used it in a May post on X (formerly Twitter). Soon after, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said this about AOC’s statement: ’What you believe can change, it can develop, it can grow. … I’ve made very clear that I do not believe in defunding the police, that I will not be defunding the police’. Woke 1 was not ‘crazy’. It was an important moment in a longer legacy of struggle. Woke 1 (which, according to the Internets, refers to cultural and social activism in and around 2020) was not crazy. These statements by progressive elected officials sparked criticism. Some labeled AOC an opportunist. Others gave Mamdani a bit more grace, arguing he was being strategically cautious.” (11/10/26)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/woke-one-aoc-progressives-defund-the-police-blue-wave