A Progressive District Attorney for Philadelphia
In recent years, Philadelphia has found itself in the national spotlight — oftentimes, not as a result of something positive. In June, the city’s previous District Attorney, Seth Williams, pled guilty to bribery, and he now faces 5 years in prison. The District Attorney’s office and the Philadelphia Police Department have both been plagued by corruption and public mistrust. These are not the only problems that Philadelphia faces, as the opioid epidemic has managed to tighten its grip on the city. In 2016, the city saw more than 900 people die of opioid overdoses. Solutions have been researched, but few have been implemented.
This context is what makes the November 7th District Attorney election so interesting to watch. The Democratic candidate is Larry Krasner, a civil rights attorney who has spent his life defending protestors and activists. In May, he soundly defeated his primary opponents. Krasner’s campaign platform offers a unique foil to the issues that Philadelphia has toiled with for decades, and given the fact that the polls will open in less than 48 hours, he is worth a closer look.
Central to Krasner’s campaign is the issue of systemic corruption in Philadelphia. Earlier, we discussed the fate of the previous DA, Seth Williams, who was indicted earlier this year on counts of bribery and corruption. The year before, former Rep. Chaka Fattah was convicted of bribery, money laundering, and fraud. His district included a significant portion of the city. This corruption has spread like a disease to the judiciary, from cases of favorable treatment to ethics violations. The third piece of this poisoned puzzle is the Philadelphia Police Department, which has seen, among other things, narcotics officers steal from drug dealers and pocket the money.
With the political system (designed to create and manage the law), the police department (designed to enforce the law), and the DA/Judiciary (designed to check the law) all infected, it is no wonder that much of the corruption and injustice go unpunished. In one case, an officer, who was potentially guilty of perjury, was protected by the DA’s office. The corruption that Philadelphia faces is not new — in the 1980s, The Philadelphia Inquirer called the city a ‘petri dish for corruption’. Clearly, such a systemic issue cannot be solved overnight, but the DA’s office has the power to start the treatment process. As part of his ‘focus on serious crime’ strategy, Krasner wants to remove the roadblock that the DA’s office has historically been in the pursuit of justice.
This means increased scrutiny of public officials, regardless of party ties or financial/political influence. Krasner has attacked the “failed culture” of the DA’s office and Philadelphia’s political system. Over the years, in response to the corruption and unjust practices of the Police Department, Krasner has sued the department 75 times. Despite what the leader of the Police Union would have you believe, Larry Krasner is not, and has never been, anti-police. He is anti-corrupt police, anti-abusive police, but he is not anti-police. He is opposed to policies that do not work and to practices that make problems worse. This smear is baseless and most in the city, including the police, can see through it.
Krasner’s policy proposals are aimed at attacking the root of problems, not just their symptoms. That means ending unjust policies like civil asset forfeiture without a conviction or any sign of wrongdoing. Over the years, millions of dollars (cash and property) have been confiscated by the Police Department and the DA without any charges ever being filed. This is a revenue stream that incentivizes intrusive searches without cause. Krasner’s election would put an end to this practice and send a national message, heightened by its clash against Jeff Sessions’ attempt to encourage an increase in the usage of civil asset forfeiture.
Another issue of national controversy is that of cash bail for nonviolent offenders. In the United States, 70% of those in jail haven’t been convicted of a crime — they are only there because they can’t pay bail. One report found that the current cash-bail system compromises public safety, as it does not effectively prioritize the danger a detainee poses to the public when deciding bail. Philadelphia could potentially save $75 million annually by eliminating the practice. The decision of whether or not someone can walk free should not be based on how poor or wealthy they are. Krasner makes this clear as part of his platform and has pledged to implement alternative measures to cash bail for non-violent offenders, such as a check-in system, which prioritizes public safety while reducing the cost to taxpayers.
Krasner wants to give discretion back to judges, which means a fight against mandatory minimums. Mandatory minimums are historically ineffective and do nothing to increase public safety. They rob the importance of nuance from the legal system and try to simplify issues that cannot be simplified.
We have discussed the policies that Krasner wants to end, but what about what he wants to start? He supports community policing, a form of policing that has proven to be extremely effective. It prioritizes the relationship between police and the communities which they serve. The Department of Justice notes that community policing is able to “proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues such as crime, social disorder, and fear of crime.” Community policing has been continually associated with significant declines in crime rates. Obviously, the DA only has so much influence with the way that the Police Department operates, but support from one of the most powerful offices in the city would carry some serious weight.
Philadelphia has witnessed firsthand the horrors of the opioid crisis. From pharmaceutical opioids to heroin and fentanyl, opioid abuse and overdoses are increasing markedly. Krasner has pledged to support common-sense drug policy and bring an end to the failed ‘war on drugs’. The United States is one of the only industrialized nations that treat drug addiction as a crime, instead of a health issue. The fact of the matter is that drug addiction is not an issue that we can arrest our way out of. Krasner has vocalized support for CUES, or Comprehensive User Engagement Sites, which prevent overdoses while helping to guide victims of addiction to treatment. The war on drugs, which originated under Nixon and Reagan, disproportionately targets people of color. In an interview, a former Nixon aid said:
“We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.”
Krasner will act as a counter to AG Sessions’ regressive drug policies and would have a meaningful impact on policy decisions across the state and the country.
Instead of focusing on victimless crimes and nonviolent offenders, Krasner wants to take on serious crime: homicides, assault, corruption, etc. Less than half of homicides in Philadelphia are solved, and the resources being wasted on failed practices are a significant contributor to that failure. Krasner’s goal to reprioritize crime and change the strategy of the DA will help to push resources to fight the crimes that count.
Krasner has been called the ‘Bernie Sanders of Philadelphia’ , and this seems to be a title that he is embracing. In an interview with The Intercept, Krasner said,
“I do feel like the Bernie in this race. Ain’t nobody perfect but neither am I, so I think it’s great. They stood for change from the outside. When we look back, we have to admit that the old Vermont Jewish socialist septuagenarian would have won.”
Senator Sanders appears to be watching this race closely, congratulating Krasner on his primary victory. His nonprofit, Our Revolution, has backed Krasner since early last spring. This is largely because the Sanders and Krasner have nearly identical platforms when it comes to criminal justice reform.
Krasner’s election would not only be beneficial for combatting crime rates and ensuring public accountability in Philadelphia, but it would also send a ripple effect through the region and the country as a whole. A message that tired, regressive policies will not be supported, and that we must fight not just for ‘order’, but for true justice as well: social justice, racial justice, and criminal justice. With District Attorneys across the country wielding tremendous power, and many, like the one in New Orleans, abusing that power, a Larry Krasner victory would signal a shift towards meaningful reform. After all, so much of this nation’s history lies in Philadelphia — it makes sense that its future should as well.
