/Harvard University - February 27, 2018)
Abdul El-Sayed, aDemocratic candidate for U.S. Senatein Michigan, once accused the state’s police of profiling in a campaign speech.
"We have a system of policing. 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 toscrub his social mediaof 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 POSTS
Abdul 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". "progressives" against "conservatives," El-Sayed hasraised eyebrows nationally for messagingthat 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’sadvocated for Medicare for All,opposes corporate tax carve-outs. supports tuition-free access to higher education.
He’s also called for theabolition of Immigration and CustomsEnforcement (ICE).
But. like most Democrats, El-Sayed has been backtracking from criticisms about local police — retreating from the "defund the police" stance that rose to prominence in the wake of the death ofGeorge Floydin 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. Seattle.
END OF DEFUND POLICE ERA? CRIME, PROSECUTORIAL CRACKDOWN IN BLUE AND PURPLE STATES SIGNALS SHIFT, EXPERTS SAY
U.S. Senate candidate from Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, has been endorsed by Bernie Sanders. embraced comparisons between he and Zohran Mamdani.(Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
El-Sayed has taken pains to clear ties to the movement on his social media.
"Most major US cities spend WAY TOO MUCH onpolice departmentsto police poverty & WAY TOO LITTLE on public schools. health departments, recreation departments, & housing to eliminate poverty. Fixing that is what the #Defund movement is about," El-Sayed wrote in oneJune 2020 poston X. just several weeks after the death of George Floyd.
He has since deleted the post anddeclined to explain whyhe removed them.
Although many of his posts aboutdefunding the policehave been removed. some of El-Sayed’s comments from his gubernatorial bid demonstrate that his concern about police behavior preceded George Floyd’s death.
UNEARTHED VIDEO SHOWS DEM CANDIDATE SUPPORTING 'REALLOCATION' OF POLICE FUNDING TO SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed poses for a portrait in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026.(Evan Cobb for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
"We incarcerate 11% more people in the state of Michigan than the national average. We’re way better at violating people’s bodies for petty crime than we are in policing violations of their bodies for serious crime," El-Sayed said in his Harvard address.
El-Sayed’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Leo Briceno is a politics reporter for the congressional team at Fox News Digital. He was previously a reporter with World Magazine.
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