DEMOCRATIC WARD 2 AFFRONTED THAT PA LEGISLATURE VOTED TO HOLD PHILLY DA KRASNER IN CONTEMPT BY IMPROPER AND IMPERMISSIBLE PROCESS MOTIVATED BY RACIST POLITICAL NARRATIVE

The Pa. legislature has taken the unprecedented action of establishing a committee to consider the impeachment of the Philadelphia District Attorney, Larry Krasner, without alleging any criminal action by the D.A. and despite the recent re-election of the D.A. by overwhelming support of the people of Philadelphia. The Republican-controlled legislature says that they are motivated by the rising gun violence in Philadelphia that they allege is due to the incumbent’s policies. Yet they have not investigated if, how, or why the rise in crime in this city differs from that of other jurisdictions in Pennsylvania or in other large cities throughout the nation.

The use of the impeachment process to try to remove an elected official because the legislature does not like his policies is not only inappropriate, contrary to the requirements of the law, and probably Unconstitutional, but unprecedented in state history. D.A. Krasner responded to the constituting of this committee and its use of the subpoena process by appropriately filing a motion in Court challenging the legality. It is further contrary to the requirements of the law for the legislature to vote on a contempt motion for D.A. Krasner’s refusal to turn over documents requested by this questionably legal committee when that motion was not debated or subject to public input, and when there is an outstanding motion pending in Commonwealth Court that could result in the termination of this committee and its efforts to impugn Larry Krasner’s reputation and to stop reform of the criminal justice system. The legislature should know how our state laws work and act consistently with the laws’ requirements. Since they have failed to do so, it is highly likely that this effort will fail.

There must, then, be a different motivation for this action since the legislature knows it will almost surely fail. Ward 2 of the Philadelphia Democratic Party believes the motivation is to stir up racial animus connected to the racial make-up of Philadelphia and to foster conservative views on crime by Black and Brown people. Larry Krasner is at the forefront of efforts across the nation by progressive district attorneys to re-examine the causes of crime and how our society responds to crime. He campaigned on ways that his administration would seek to reform the criminal justice system to bring about a fairer and more equitable society. His office is moving forward on those campaign pledges, and conservatives are looking for ways to interfere with this effort and to have that interference affect the upcoming elections throughout the state.

Sadly, a number of Democratic representatives including a few who our ward had endorsed, did not stop to analyze this dangerous and undemocratic effort by the Republicans, nor did they do their legal research to conclude that the process being led by the Republicans was inapplicable and illegal. They went along with the fear mongering of the right wing and allegedly thought that the D.A. was acting out of malice toward the legislature when he was, in fact, responding by correct legal processes.

We expect our duly elected representatives to act in accordance with the laws and in the best interests of their constituents. The people of this City by overwhelming majority voted for Larry Krasner to move forward with his agenda for fighting for criminal justice. If our representatives will not support him, they risk losing the support of the people.

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The Second Ward Democrats (phila2ndward.org) is made up of progressive neighbors who became the majority of committee persons in this Ward 4 years ago in an effort to move our government at all levels to create a racially, socially and economically just society.