Defund the Police Dems Mary Scanlon and Kimberly Lightford are CARJACKED!
America's crime wave isn't just hurting ordinary citizens, but also politicians. In late December, two Democratic politicians were carjacked just hours apart in Philadelphia and Chicago. Ironically, both women - Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon and Illinois State Senator Kimberly Lightford - supported slashing police budgets and other reform measures, which many Republicans have blamed as the cause of the rapid increase in crime.
Since the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, police reform has become a major talking point. In June 2020, then-President Donald Trump did unveil some reform measures, including banning chokeholds, but Democrats argued they didn't go far enough. Many have pushed for more radical reforms, especially defunding the police, a cry Joe Biden attempted to distance himself from on the campaign trail.
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Despite the lack of support from the president, several Democrats have strongly pushed for defunding the police and other measures including bail reform and criminal justice reform, leading to a massive surge in crime. Scanlon and Lightford got a sample of this first hand when they were robbed in their hometowns.
Dem pols carjacked
On December 21 night, Lightford and her husband Eric McKennie were carjacked in the suburb of Broadview outside of Chicago. According to reports, three masked individuals in a Dodge Durango approached the couple as they were driving in the area. "They made her get out of the car, took the car, took her purse – everything in the car," an eyewitness told CBS Local. Around 15 shots were fired, but luckily the couple was not injured.
Then on December 22 afternoon, Scanlon was carjacked in Philadelphia. The Congresswoman was walking towards her parked car when she was approached by two men in an SUV. The armed men demanded the keys to her vehicle, and drove off with it, also taking her phone, purse, and government ID. Thankfully she too was not injured, and it doesn't appear as if the suspects fired any shots.
It's unclear who took Lightfoot's car, with police still searching for the men responsible. Scanlon's vehicle was found at the Christiana Mall in Delaware, with five occupants of the car being taken into custody. At the time of reporting, it's unclear if all five were involved in the carjacking.
Support for police reform
Prior to the incidents, both women were big supporters of police reform. They both co-sponsored bills that would allow mental health specialists to replace police officers as first responders. and also back slashing police budgets. In 2020, Lightford proposed slashing Chicago PD's budget by $80 million but ultimately settled for $59 million. However, things appear to have dramatically changed in just a few short days.
Scanlon on the other hand is a co-sponsor to the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, the Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act of 2020, and the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act, all targeting police departments with federal legislation. After being carjacked, she issued a statement through her spokesperson saying, "She thanks the Philadelphia Police Department for their swift response, and appreciates the efforts of both the Sergeant at Arms in D.C. and her local police department."