They wanted to defund the police.
Two Democrats who support police reform have been carjacked within 24 hours of each.
The Democrats –– who supported police reform in Philadelphia and Chicago respectively –– were threatened at gunpoint before suspects hijacked the vehicles in question.
On Tuesday night, Illinois State Senator Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood) and Her husband Eric McKennie, were targeted by three masked suspects in a Durango SUV. As the couple drove through Broadview at about 9:45 pm, multiple gunshots were fired as the hijackers eventually made off with the couple’s black Mercedes.
In the second incident, which took place 17 hours after the first, at 2:45 pm on Wednesday, Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) was carjacked after an event in South Philadelphia. Scanlon was held at gunpoint as she returned to her car –– a blue Acura MDX. At gunpoint, the suspects demanded she hands them the keys, which she did.
At that time, her cell phone and government-issued phone, in addition to her purse were inside the car.
When her car was recovered, in neighboring Delaware, five suspects were found inside the vehicle.
Commenting on Scanlon’s carjacking on Twitter, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said he was “appalled” to hear about the violent crime and said the Congresswoman was in his thoughts as she recovered from “a traumatic time.” Kenney also said that everyone deserved to feel safe in Philadelphia. However, he acknowledged that it wasn’t the case for the past year, as criminals felt emboldened to “commit such a reckless crime in the middle of the day in what should be a place of peace ––one of our city’s parks.”
In the past, Lightford and Scanlon have voiced support for police reform.
In the wake of George Floyd’s death, Scanlon tweeted that “too many lives taken and communities devastated by police brutality and racial profiling,” saying action was long overdue. She then tagged the Democrats, saying the Democrats were fighting for real reform in the country’s police departments.”
