Two Democrat lawmakers, including Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon and Illinois state Senator Kimberly Lightford, sponsored so-called police reforms bills in the name of police defunding.
Both lawmakers have faced carjacking within the time span of a few hours. The events are the latest high-profile crimes in the recent wave of criminal activities in the United States.
Scanlon praised the same police she once tried to defund
Scanlon’s office issued a statement on Wednesday, noting the congresswoman was carjacked by an armed person in FDR park, after her meeting at that location.
However, the official claimed Scanlon was physically unharmed. The congresswoman appreciated the “swift response” of the Philadelphia Police Department and thanked other law enforcement agencies for her safety.
Reportedly, the attackers fled with Scanlon’s mobile phone and a wallet. According to the police, two black men approached Scanlon when she was heading towards her car.
As the attackers seized her car’s key, one of them escaped in Scanlon’s 2017 Acura MDX car, while the other one fled in an SUV.
Mary Gay Scanlon
Hopefully will convince Dem politicians to defund the police more than ever;Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, carjacked at gunpoint in park in Philadelphia, spokesperson says.
Democrat state Sen. Kimberly Lightford who has pushed police reform laws is victim in carjacking— @SHEPMJS (@shepmjs) December 23, 2021
Until now, the Philadelphia Police Department reported almost 521 homicide incidents in 2021, a significant spike of 13% compared to last year.
Likewise, the city observed the highest number of killings this year since 2007, with shootings increasing by 4.4% from last year. Similarly, carjackings increased by 80% in Philadelphia in 2021, as per the police data.
Illinois police saved a lawmaker who tried to defund them
A few hours before this unfortunate event, another Democrat lawmaker belonging to the Illinois Senate, Kimberly Lightford, faced a carjacking alongside her husband.
After the incident, Lightford noted she was thankful she survived the episode with her husband, mentioning she was passing through the trauma. For a “quick and thorough” response, she appreciated the police’s efforts.
Both of these lawmakers supported sweeping police reforms in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020.
Rep. Scanlon cosponsored the Mental Health Justice Act, along with 124 other Democrat lawmakers.
This bill tried to make police officers the first responders to mental health cases, alongside mental health specialists.
The bill also stated the Secretary of Health would be empowered to give money to different institutions to hire and train mental health professionals for cases involving at least one mentally challenged person.
Lightford said in the past the US should reform its criminal justice system. The lawmaker also pledged to bring four bills in the Senate, ranging from violence reduction to police accountability, workforce, and economic development.
Carjackings are now a common occurrence in Minneapolis. Democrats pushed to defund the police in spite of this surge in crime. The DFL and its policies make Minnesotans less safe. https://t.co/JpoyurN3o9
— Republican Party of Minnesota (@mngop) December 14, 2021
She has often called for de-escalation practices in policing, asserting the police are not working satisfactorily.
Democrats have long been vocal about police defunding, despite the rising waves of crimes. Republicans, on the other hand, claimed Democrats decry crimes after defunding the police themselves, which is hypocritical.
Carjacking episodes are on the rise all over America these days.
