Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic candidate for U.S.Senate in Michigan, once accused the state’s police of profiling in a campaign speech."We have a system of policing that seems to want to police on top of people rather than police with people," El-Sayed said during a gubernatorial bid in 2018 in an address before Harvard."The probability of closing a murder in Detroit is extremely low.
And yet the cops will pick on you because you look a particular kind of way."El-Sayed’s comments persist despite efforts to scrub his social media of posts championing criticisms against law enforcement, providing a look at his views on Michigan police that preceded the widespread criticisms of police that would emerge in the "Defund the Police" movement.TLAIB-BACKED SENATE CANDIDATE IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER DELETING 'DEFUND THE POLICE' SOCIAL MEDIA POSTSAbdul El-Sayed, U.S.Senate candidate in Michigan, speaks at an event.
(Monica Morgan/Getty Images)Despite rejecting political language that pits "left" against "right" and "progressives" against "conservatives," El-Sayed has raised eyebrows nationally for messaging that pushes the edges of his party’s messaging on key issues.Among other notable positions, El-Sayed has made increasing the role of government a key part of his campaign.In addition to calling for lowering housing costs, he’s advocated for Medicare for All, opposes corporate tax carve-outs and supports tuition-free access to higher education.He’s also called for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).But, like most Democrats, El-Sayed has taken pains to back away from criticisms about local police — retreating from the "defund the police" stance that rose to prominence in the wake of the death of George Floyd in 2020.
Although the movement rallied Democrats around increased accountability measures for law enforcement officers, it became a political liability following crime spikes in cities that embraced the idea like Minneapolis, Portland and ...