Privilege has its perks, it seems.
U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, a white, left-wing Democratic congresswoman from Philadelphia, was carjacked by two men on Wednesday afternoon after she finished touring a park on the city’s south side.
The gun-wielding crooks, who were black, stole her cell phone, her phone provided by the federal government, her purse, and her car, according to media reports. Scanlon was not injured during the incident.
Philly detectives quickly responded and began investigating. A few hours later, local media reported, the FBI and Delaware State Police found her car at a mall in Delaware. Five people were reportedly in the car but it was unclear if any of them were involved in the carjacking.
“The Congresswoman was physically unharmed. 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 for coordinating with Philly PD to ensure her continued safety,” Scanlon’s office said in a statement.
The irony is that earlier this year Scanlon introduced a bill that would “defund the police” – likely including some of the same police officers who came to her aid.
Scanlon’s Mental Health Justice Act says, in part, “Many of the police encounters that lead to the incarceration (and in too many cases, death) of people with mental illness or an intellectual or developmental disability could be avoided by having in place systems that ensure that calls to 911 or to law enforcement result in dispatch of mental health professionals, peer support workers, or others rather than law enforcement officers.”
“Many people who are incarcerated would be better served in community services. If there were sufficient community services, and persons with mental illness or an intellectual or developmental disability were connected to those services rather than being arrested, thousands of people with mental illness or an intellectual or developmental disability would avoid needless admissions to hospitals or jails. Further, jails and hospitals would experience less crowding.”
The bill further calls for the Department of Health and Human Services to provide funding so local departments could “hire, employ, train, and dispatch mental health professionals to respond in lieu of law enforcement officers” during emergencies in which the source of the threat is having a mental health crisis, “may have” a mental illness or an intellectual or developmental disability, or under the influence of a legal or illegal substance.
The mental health professionals who would be hired instead of cops would receive training in “the principles of de-escalation and antiracism and age-appropriate techniques.”
As of right now, 125 Democrats support the measure.
Yet Scanlon also has come out against cops before.
Last year, after the death of George Floyd in police custody, she tweeted, “We have seen too many lives taken and communities devastated by police brutality and racial profiling. Action is long overdue. @HouseDemocrats are fighting for REAL reform in our country’s police departments. #JusticeInPolicing.”
Despite her attitude, she apparently had no problem calling cops when she was in trouble, and at least three law enforcement agencies – local, state, and federal – leaped into action to solve Scanlon’s crime.
It’s also worth pointing out that the liberal national media that reported on her story – NBC News, CNN, and the Daily Beast – ignored her bill and her anti-police rhetoric in detailing her victimization by armed thugs.
Check out Tampafp.com for Politics, Tampa Area Local News, Sports, and National Headlines. Support journalism by clicking here to our GoFundMe or sign up for our free newsletter by clicking here.
Android Users, Click Here To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. It’s Free And Coming To Apple Users Soon.