NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- The MTA's board approved a plan on Wednesday to add 500 police officers to the subway system.
Governor Andrew Cuomo had argued that the additional police officers were necessary to fight crime on the subway, which he says has gone up in recent years.
Protestors at Wednesday's board meeting attempted to disrupt the vote. Seven protestors were ejected from the meeting, five of whom were given summonses for disorderly conduct.
Many prominent officials have come out against the new officers. Several politicians, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, signed a letter to Cuomo asking him to reconsider the proposal. "Punishing the poor does not create a safer environment," Ocasio-Cortze wrote on Twitter. "Instead it threatens the very foundation of our community."