The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) vice chairwoman in Minnesota, Shivanthi Sathanandan, experienced a stark reality check when she and her children were violently carjacked on Tuesday outside their Minneapolis home. A once vocal advocate for “dismantling” the police, Sathanandan now calls for stricter law enforcement and criminal prosecution. Her ordeal epitomizes the contradictions inherent in the liberal “defund the police” rhetoric.
“Yesterday my children and I were violently carjacked in the driveway of our home in Minneapolis,” Sathanandan said in a Facebook post, displaying a photograph of her bruised face. The incident involved “four very young men, all carrying guns” who assaulted her in broad daylight. She reported a broken leg, deep lacerations on her head, and multiple cuts and bruises. It’s a terrifying account that has forced Sathanandan to reevaluate her position on law enforcement.
.@Shivanthi Sathanandan, the vice chair for the Democrat Party @MinnesotaDFL in Minnesota, virulently advocated for the dismantling of the Minneapolis Police Department even as neighborhoods in the city were burned to the ground by #BLM–#Antifa rioters.
Now, she has come… pic.twitter.com/Plc4m2SSJO
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) September 7, 2023
“We need to get illegal guns off of our streets, catch these young people who are running wild creating chaos across our city, and HOLD THEM IN CUSTODY AND PROSECUTE THEM,” she wrote. This is the same Sathanandan who, in June 2020, said she and other activists were “going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department.” Back then, she criticized the police for failing the community. Now, she publicly thanked the Minneapolis officers for their help during her “terrifying experience.”
Sathanandan’s about-face highlights a broader disconnect within the Democratic Party’s approach to crime and law enforcement. At the height of protests in 2020, cries to “defund the police” became a rallying cry, yet when faced with the real-world implications of crime, the tune quickly changed. Even Minnesota DFL Chairman Ken Martin, who had expressed being “heartbroken” over Sathanandan’s attack, stressed the importance of bringing the perpetrators to justice.
A similar case unfolded in 2021 when a Pennsylvania Democrat, who had also supported “defunding the police,” was carjacked. These incidents underscore the dilemma for Democrats. How can they reconcile a platform that calls for social justice and public safety, especially when advocating for removing one of the essential cogs in the safety machinery — law enforcement?
Sathanandan’s harrowing experience is a cautionary tale for those advocating blanket measures like dismantling the police force without adequately considering the ramifications. Ironically, in her time of need, the institution she had earlier criticized came to her rescue.
