Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

When the rubber hits the road: Anti-police activist does U-turn after being carjacked

Monday, September 18, 2023

When the rubber hits the road: Anti-police activist does U-turn after being carjacked

Three years ago, the “defund the police” movement got its start in Minneapolis, MN. A number of leftist politicians wasted no time in jumping on the bandwagon, along with a bunch of Hollywood celebrities – all of whom thought it was a great idea to slash police funding or, in some cases, to abolish the police entirely.

Shivanthi Sathanandan, currently the second vice-chairwoman of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) Party, was one of these early supporters. In June 2020, she called for taking action against the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). “We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department” because “MPD has systematically failed the black community, they have failed ALL OF US … If you are still disagreeing with that BASIC FACT, I’m not sure what to say to you.”

That was then, and this is now. “Shivanthi Sathanandan, police hater, just got carjacked by reality,” reads a New York Post headline. The piece describes Sathanandan as a new convert to the law-and-order movement after a violent carjacking in which she was allegedly attacked in her yard by four “very young” men with guns. It quotes Sathanandan’s social media posts, featuring a selfie of her bloodied face and her thanks to the “incredible” Minneapolis police officers for their help, with the following message:

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… Look at my face. These criminals will not win. We need to take back our city. And this will not be the last you hear from me about this…

These men knew what they were doing. I have NO DOUBT they have done this before. Yet they are still on OUR streets…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 our streets, catch these young people who are running wild and creating chaos across our city AND HOLD THEM IN CUSTODY AND PROSECUTE THEM.  PERIOD.  (Emphasis in original.)  

What happened to Sathanandan and her family is horrifying but unfortunately, not unique.

Although carjacking crimes are actually down in Minneapolis from this time last year, police statistics as of mid-September show assault offenses, sex offenses, vandalism/property damage, car thefts, and stolen property crimes in the city are all on the rise. There are also less police officers available to handle this surge in crime due, in part, to the aftermath of the police abolition/defund movement she was a proponent of.

While Sathanandan was agitating for the MPD to be dismantled, officers were leaving in unprecedented numbers – 40 cops were in the process of resigning or otherwise separating from the MPD, another 75 were on medical leave for post-traumatic stress disorder caused by the riots that summer, and “dozens more” were expected to file for leave. According to a local newspaper, the attrition continued well into 2023: “as of May 2023, there were 585 sworn officers in the Minneapolis Police Department compared to a force of 892 in 2018, a decline of about 34%.” A 2021 statement by the president of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis outlining the reasons for the personnel losses includes, as one, the “false narratives spewed by uninformed politicians, activist groups and ultimately pushed by the media” that “added to the hatred towards the police, [and] diminishing trust and support from the community.”  

It’s possible that Sathanandan has walked back her views on the MPD. However, the official “Action Agenda” of the Minnesota DFL Party she represents shows that the DFL is on board with plenty of like-minded liberal public safety notions, starting with “policies that prioritize restoration/rehabilitation,” supporting a “model of public safety that includes more professionals who are trained in mental health issues,” and adopting what it calls “common sense gun violence prevention measures,” like criminal background checks on all gun sales and red-flag orders. The DFL opposes “any efforts to weaken or eliminate Minnesota’s requirements for a permit to carry a handgun in public,” a law that we’re guessing had absolutely no effect on the four crooks that allegedly attacked her, beat her up and stole her car. 

Much like New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D), who was happy to support “sanctuary city” status in theory until reality in the form of droves of arriving illegal aliens landed on his doorstep, Sathanandan, “now part of the statistics,” has received a brutal reminder that policies have consequences.

TRENDING NOW
One Big Beautiful Bill Clears Senate, and Heads Back to House

News  

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

One Big Beautiful Bill Clears Senate, and Heads Back to House

Earlier today the U.S. Senate passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” This bill contained a provision that would, among other things, eliminate the burdensome $200 excise tax imposed by federal law on suppressors, short-barreled firearms, and “any ...

U.S. Senate Adds Pro-Gun Tax Relief Language Back into Reconciliation Bill

News  

Saturday, June 28, 2025

U.S. Senate Adds Pro-Gun Tax Relief Language Back into Reconciliation Bill

Overnight, the U.S. Senate added pro-gun tax relief language back into the Reconciliation bill after the Senate Parliamentarian struck out an earlier provision.  While this new provision is not as expansive as the language we advocated for which ...

Congress Passes the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Now Headed to President Trump

News  

Thursday, July 3, 2025

Congress Passes the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Now Headed to President Trump

Earlier today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” This bill contained a provision that would, among other things, eliminate the burdensome $200 excise tax imposed by federal law on suppressors, short-barreled firearms, ...

U.S. House Passes Reconciliation Bill, Removing Suppressors from the National Firearms Act

News  

Second Amendment  

Thursday, May 22, 2025

U.S. House Passes Reconciliation Bill, Removing Suppressors from the National Firearms Act

Earlier today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.1 the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included Section 2 of the Hearing Protection Act, completely removing suppressors from the National Firearms Act (NFA).

U.S. House Sends Reconciliation Bill to President Trump

News  

Second Amendment  

Thursday, July 3, 2025

U.S. House Sends Reconciliation Bill to President Trump

NFA Tax on Suppressors, Short-Barreled Firearms, and Other Arms Reduced to $0

Armed Churchgoers Prevent Mass Attack as State Lawmakers Plot More Gun Control

News  

Monday, June 30, 2025

Armed Churchgoers Prevent Mass Attack as State Lawmakers Plot More Gun Control

Just over an hour away from the state capitol in Lansing, Michigan – even as lawmakers worked feverishly to pass various gun control measures, including expansion of “gun free” zones – a chilling reminder unfolded of the ...

Urge the U.S. Senate to Pass the One Big Beautiful Bill – Contact Your U.S. Senators Today!

News  

Monday, June 30, 2025

Urge the U.S. Senate to Pass the One Big Beautiful Bill – Contact Your U.S. Senators Today!

The U.S. Senate has cleared a number of procedural hurdles and is preparing to vote on the One Big Beautiful Bill. This vote will likely come within the next day. The One Big Beautiful Bill includes ...

Canada’s Big Ugly Gun Grab: An Update

News  

Monday, June 30, 2025

Canada’s Big Ugly Gun Grab: An Update

Canada’s Liberal government is pressing on with its harebrained gun ban and confiscation program for “assault style weapons,” but, true to form and precedents, it has been far from smooth sailing.

U.S. Senate Forced to Remove Pro-Gun Language from Reconciliation Bill

News  

Friday, June 27, 2025

U.S. Senate Forced to Remove Pro-Gun Language from Reconciliation Bill

Today, the U.S. Senate was forced to remove the pro-gun language that had been previously included in the Reconciliation Bill currently making its way through the chamber. We explained in a previous article that this language would, ...

North Carolina: Update on Gun Bills Moving through the General Assembly

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

North Carolina: Update on Gun Bills Moving through the General Assembly

Recently, House Bill 193 (H193) was reported favorably out of both the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Rules Committee, with amendments.

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.