Shivanthi Sathanandan, a vice chair of the Minnesota DFL Party and an outspoken supporter of police defunding, has found herself on the receiving end of crime she once thought could be remedied by social services.
Sathanandan, who is of Indian and Sri Lankan origin, was carjacked and attacked in broad daylight in her own driveway, as her small children looked on in fear. Sathanandan thanked the officers who reacted to her emergency and is now asking for harsher sanctions for youthful criminals.
In a detailed Facebook post that included a graphic image of her face after the incident, Sathanandan wrote, “You could have been reading the obituary for me and my children today. But instead, I’m here. To write this. 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.”
The terrifying incident occurred at Sathanandan’s Minneapolis residence and involved four young males, all armed. Sathanandan sustained a shattered leg, head lacerations, and significant bruising. During the incident, her children and neighbors were threatened with guns.
Read her story below:
Yesterday my children and I were violently car jacked in the driveway of our home in Minneapolis. Four very young men, all carrying guns, beat me violently down to the ground in front of our kids. The young men held our neighbors up at gunpoint when they ran over and tried to help me. All in broad daylight.
Look at my face in the picture. This is the face of a mother who just had the sh$t beaten out of her. A mother whose only thought was, “let me run far enough and fight hard enough so that my kids have a chance to get away.” This is the face of a mother who just listened to her four year old daughter screaming non-stop, her 7 year old son wailing for someone to come help because bad guys are murdering his Mama in the back yard, her neighbors screaming in outrage… all while being beaten with guns and kicks and fists.
I have a broken leg, deep lacerations on my head, bruising and cuts all over my body.
And I have rage.
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 erase. With no hesitation and no remorse.
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. PERIOD.
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.
You could have been reading the obituary for me and my children today. But instead I’m here. To write this.
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.
In her June 2020 post, Sathanandan wrote, “We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department. Say it with me. DISMANTLE The Minneapolis Police Department”
She added, “As allies, what can we do right now? LISTEN and LEARN from our Black siblings. And then AMPLIFY this message right now, in this moment. 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.”
Following the incident, Sathanandan expressed gratitude to the Minneapolis 4th Precinct Officers, Mayor Frey, Chief O’Hara, Paramedics, neighbors, friends, and DFL family, saying, “I’m so grateful for this community that wraps us in love.”
The Gateway Pundit has reached out to Sathanandan for comment on whether she still supports her prior calls to abolish the Minneapolis Police Department in the aftermath of her horrible experience.
According to Alpha News, “The Minneapolis Police Department confirmed that it received a report about the alleged carjacking.”