Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Steps Up To Defend 'Joker' Stairs In Bronx

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) remembers when the stairs from the movie “Joker” were just a place to avoid.

“When I was growing up, everyone would tell us to stay away from those steps or go with a friend,” the Bronx, New York, native told TMZ on Capitol Hill Tuesday. (See the clip above.)

But the borough became safer, she said. And now the steps at West 167th Street have been immortalized by Joaquin Phoenix ’s clown prince of crime dancing on them in the blockbuster film. Tourists are reportedly flocking there for photos.

Ocasio-Cortez good-naturedly warned against the climb-it change on social media.

“Listen, keep your Instagram posts outside of the Boogie Down,” Ocasio-Cortez said, using a term coined for the Bronx.

“This is for us,” she added.

In February Ocasio-Cortez said she still kept an address in the Bronx. She told TMZ on Tuesday that she recently went past the famous stairs on her way to an office.

Watch the full interview above.