MSNBC's Joy Reid is slammed for saying she is skeptical of soaring crime rates JUST because she hasn't heard 'anecdotes from friends' about violence in big cities

Joy Reid has been panned for saying she is skeptical of statistics showing a surge in crime because she hasn't heard 'anecdotes from friends' about violent incidents in big cities. 

The MSNBC host made the statement on Twitter Friday in response to a new ABC News/ Washington Post poll which found a large number of Americans disapprove of President Biden's handling of the crime wave. 

'I've seen more TV stories about crime than the actual anecdotes from friends in NYC or other big cities bear out,' Reid stated. 

'I mean summer is when crime always goes up and Shark Week happens perennially, despite the rarity of actual shark attacks. But it's... odd for sure.'

Reid - who resides in the suburbs of Maryland - did not back up her claim with any hard data. 

Statistics show shootings in New York City have surged by 43 percent in the past year, while murders are up 12 percent.   

Joy Reid says she is skeptical of statistics showing a surge in crime because she hasn't heard 'anecdotes from friends' about violent incidents in big cities

The MSNBC host made the bizarre statement on Twitter Friday in response to a new ABC News/ Washington Post poll which found a large number of Americans disapprove of President Biden's handling of the crime surge

While Reid's friends may not have told her, the stats show violent crime has ticked up dramatically in major metropolitan cities across the US 

Even Democrat Governor Andrew Cuomo has admitted the Big Apple is now in the throes of a 'major crime problem' which could cause irreparable damage to the city. 

Meanwhile, the facts show that similar spikes in crime are playing out in other large cities across the US. 

Homicides have spiked by 58 percent in Atlanta, 22 percent in Los Angeles and 37 percent in Philadelphia. 

In Portland, the murder rate has increased by a whopping 533 percent.  

As is the case in the Big Apple, gun violence has also risen considerably in most major metropolitan areas. 

Shooting are up 40 percent in Atlanta, 126 percent in Portland and 51 percent in Los Angeles. 

Several slammed Reid for her odd assessment of the situation, with one saying she had been 'blinded by her politics'. 

Another wrote: 'You are a 'journalist,' and you are stating that since you don't have anecdotes from friends, a claim must be false. 'Solid inquiry,' indeed.'

Shootings are up 18 percent in Chicago. Police in the city are pictured at the scene of a homicide last week 

Shootings in New York are up 43 percent. NYPD cops are pictured patrolling Times Square last week following a shooting there 

Violence erupted in cities across the country 

Several others chimed in with anecdotes of their own.  

One wrote: 'I live in Minneapolis and I can assure you the statistics point to an alarming and unprecedented spike in crime in the past 14 months. I never worried about crime until people were getting robbed at gunpoint in what were once safe neighborhoods. It's very real.'

A second person chimed in: 'Hate to be a wet blanket but crime in my county is kicking up. I saw an attempted robbery last night as I was leaving a venue. The guy had to fight like hell, thank goodness he or anyone wasn't shot. It's more than the usual summer crime that we experience.'

The ABC News/ Washington Post poll released on Friday morning showed just 38 per cent of the public approved of how President Biden is dealing with the spike in crime and 48 percent disapprove.

A 59 percent majority of Americans believe crime is an 'extremely' or 'very' serious problem in the U.S., an increase from 51 percent in a Gallup poll released last fall, which was the highest rate since 2007. 

ABC News said the poll showed 'concern about crime was at a 20-year high'. 

However, UNC professor Nikole Hannah-Jones agreed with Reid that fear about rising crime had been concocted by the media. 

'Given that actual crime is not at or near a 20-year high, not even close to it, where do you imagine these perceptions have come from? Media cannot help itself,' Hannah Jones responded to ABC. 

Hannah-Jones was also criticized for her take. 

'Lol look at all the blue checks in here telling us we are imagining this crime wave. "There’s no crime it’s just Fox News!" Must be nice behind those gates,' one snapped. 

UNC professor Nikole Hannah-Jones agreed with Reid that fear about rising crime had been concocted by the media