A Democratic party official who had previously pledged to "dismantle" the Minneapolis Police Department in 2020 is now advocating for stricter crime laws after suffering a violent carjacking incident outside her Minnesota home. Shivanthi Sathanandan, the Second Vice Chairwoman for the DFL was beaten and bloodied during the incident this week.
Sathanandan took to Facebook on Wednesday to share the graphic outcome of the gunpoint attack on her driveway and to call for justice. Pictured with blood on her face, Sathanandan said that she had suffered a broken leg, deep cuts on her head and body, as well as bruising.
Narrowly Escaped
Sathanandan suffered the injuries when four young men who were reportedly armed attacked her and "beat me violently down to the ground in front of our kids."
"I have a broken leg, deep lacerations on my head, bruising and cuts all over my body. And I have rage," wrote Sathanandan, who said the beating occurred in front of her 4-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son at around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday.
"These men knew what they were doing. I have NO DOUBT they have done this before. Yet they are still on OUR STREETS. Killing mothers. Giving babies psychological trauma that a lifetime of therapy cannot ease. With no hesitation and no remorse," Sathanandan continued.
"I'm now part of the statistics. I wasn't silent when I fought these men to save my life and my babies, and I won't be silent now. 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 said.
"Look at my face. REMEMBER ME when you are thinking about supporting letting juveniles and young people out of custody to roam our streets instead of HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS."
Hunt on For Carjackers
Minneapolis police confirmed the carjacking incident in Sathanandan's Folwell neighborhood in a statement provided to KSTP. While her car was later recovered, as of the latest update, no suspects have been arrested in connection with the case.
Sathanandan showed her gratitude toward the "incredible" Minneapolis Police Department for their assistance during the traumatic incident. This shows a notable change in her attitude toward law enforcement compared to her stance three years ago when she posted online about her and other activists' intentions to "dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department."
"MPD has systematically failed the Black Community, they have failed ALL OF US. It's time to build a new infrastructure that works for ALL communities. If you are still disagreeing with that BASIC FACT, I'm not sure what to say to you," she said in the June 5, 2020 post — less than two weeks after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police.
In another post from June 2 of that same year, she praised the Minneapolis School Board's decision to terminate its contract with the police department, stating, "MPD should have no place in our children's schools."
Minnesota DFL Chairman Ken Martin told KSTP, in a statement on Thursday that he was "heartbroken" by the incident.
"It is my sincere hope that the people who assaulted Shivanthi are quickly brought to justice and face punishment commensurate with the severity of their crimes," said. "My heart goes out to Shivanthi and her family and I hope their recovery from such a horrifying experience is as swift as possible."
