Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota is calling for a crackdown on crime after she was violently assaulted in her Washington, D.C., apartment building last week.

Craig has been connected to the “defund the police” movement through one of her staffers, who, during the violent riots of 2020 sparked by the death of George Floyd, wrote online, "Burn. It. All. Down," according to Fox News.

Young also once said cities should "fund counselors, not cops."

Obviously, Craig did not deserve to be attacked, no matter her politics or the opinions of her staffers. Craig actually had the backbone to oppose the abolition of the Minneapolis Police Department when such an opinion was unpopular among her party.

But it is tragic that it took a harrowing attack and a potential brush with death to make her a vocal proponent of punishing those who menace society through repeated violence.

Craig was in an elevator in her building last Thursday when she was allegedly accosted by a man police have identified as 26-year-old Kendrid Hamlin.

After Hamlin prevented Craig from exiting the elevator, the encounter became violent and she was punched in the face. Craig threw hot coffee at her assailant and was able to escape.

"He wasn't going to let me out of that elevator if I hadn't fought my way out," Craig later told KARE-TV.

It turns out Hamlin has quite the criminal record.

The Washington Examiner reported that throughout the last eight years, Hamlin has been prosecuted for numerous crimes that were either violent or sexual in nature.

Just prior to his alleged assault on Craig, he was arrested for attacking U.S. Capitol Police officers. He served a 35-day sentence and allegedly assaulted Craig shortly after his release.

Craig called for common-sense reforms that will ensure violent repeat offenders are locked up during a Tuesday interview with CBS News.

“I got attacked by someone who the District of Columbia has not prosecuted fully over the course of almost a decade, over the course of 12 assaults before mine that morning,” she told the outlet.

"It wasn't even in every instance that he got 10 days or 30 days. Many times, the charges were completely dropped before any justice was achieved at all. ... And so I think we have to think about how in the world can we make sure that we’re not just letting criminals out.”

Craig suggested that sentences for violent crimes that are as short as a few days or a month are not enough. Such punishments are common in D.C. and other areas of the country run by members of her party and George Soros-backed "prosecutors."

"If you throw somebody in jail for 10 days and think, 'There's your punishment, and we're gonna let you right back on the street,' what the hell do you think's gonna happen?" she asked.

“We have to get these repeat offenders off the streets."

Craig has experienced vulnerability firsthand. She should be commended for acting to defend herself.

Now she has an opportunity to be one of the very few staunch Democratic advocates for public safety. She deserves praise for calling for change in a political environment where she faces potential ostracization by her own party for speaking out on crime.

Hopefully, her decision to speak out inspires other Democrats in Washington.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.