A socialist New York state lawmaker is facing backlash after arguing that people who steal basic necessities such as toothpaste and soap are committing “crimes of poverty” driven by a “biological need.”

Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher, a Brooklyn Democrat and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, made the remarks Thursday during a news conference outside Manhattan Criminal Court alongside other lawmakers and criminal justice advocates with Court Watch NYC.

Gallagher said the group had monitored hundreds of arraignments and found many involved misdemeanor offenses, including people accused of stealing everyday necessities.

“Most of what we saw were crimes of poverty — people who are stealing things like toothpaste, people who were stealing things like, you know, soap,” Gallagher said, arguing that those accused of stealing such products likely needed them.

Gallagher went on to criticize the criminal justice system for protecting major corporations such as CVS and Walgreens while prosecuting struggling New Yorkers, saying people can face jail “simply for having a biological need.”

Gallagher and other activists at the event pushed for “treatment-not-jail” policies and called on Mayor Zohran Mamdani to follow through on his campaign pledge to end “broken windows policing,” which targets quality-of-life offenses including fare evasion and graffiti.

The remarks drew criticism from New Yorkers interviewed by the New York Post, who argued that allowing shoplifting to go unpunished would encourage additional theft and ultimately hurt law-abiding customers and neighborhood businesses.

NYPD statistics cited by the Post showed retail theft was down 14.7% as of Aug. 9 compared with the same period last year, while petit larceny was down 5.4%.

Gallagher represents parts of northern Brooklyn, including Greenpoint, in the New York State Assembly.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)