Larry Krasner for DA

Convictions At Any Cost

Walter Ogrod has been behind bars since 1992 and on death row for 20 years. He was convicted in the 1988 murder of a little girl, near Oxford Circle. That the case is a tragedy is not in doubt. The extent of the tragedy is.  

Will Bunch’s article (Daily News, March 28) describes the efforts of author Tom Lowenstein “to show that Philadelphia police and prosecutors had used a false confession and the beyond-dubious involvement of a notorious and later-discredited jailhouse snitch to solve a high-profile murder by locking up an innocent man.”

That is how the article describes it.

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DA candidates tackle corruption, asset forfeiture

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DA candidates tackle corruption, asset forfeiture

CHESTNUT HILL LOCAL

... When asked questions about how they would handle certain issues, such as prison overcrowding, gun violence, corruption and quality of life crimes, the candidates largely emphasized the need for reform in the DA’s office. Krasner, a longtime criminal defense attorney, consistently brought up reform and how, as a political outsider and the self-proclaimed most progressive candidate running, he was the best one to make the necessary changes to the DA’s office.

Facts, Not Favoritism

As District Attorney, I won’t tolerate double standards. The law applies equally to all, regardless of livelihood. While it is inappropriate for any candidate to pre-judge a case under consideration by the District Attorney’s Office, this article clearly points to the need for a District Attorney who will look closely at the facts and act without favoritism.

See article: 
Off-duty cop ran over Danny Dimitri. Was there drag racing? 
(Mike Newall, Philadelphia Inquirer, March 24, 2017)

Larry Krasner tilts Philly DA race in a progressive direction

CITY & STATE

... Like others in the race, Krasner seems to relish the opportunity to battle the Trump administration in court on known flashpoints like sanctuary city legislation and civil asset forfeiture, as well as lesser-known challenges, like threats to the region resulting from defunding the Environmental Protection Agency — something he emphasized would be just one of the areas of concern he would be prepared to defend. “It could mean that when you have a president who guts the EPA, that you have a district attorney who will engage in pollution prosecution,” he said.

Larry Krasner: The 'un-prosecutor' candidate (AUDIO)

Larry Krasner: The 'un-prosecutor' candidate (AUDIO)

WHYY NEWSWORKS

Ask Larry Krasner, who's never worked as a prosecutor, why he's the right guy to be Philadelphia's next district attorney, and he has a ready answer.

"Because I've never been a prosecutor," he says.

There's more to it than that, but the heart of Krasner's pitch is that the ingrained culture of the district attorney's office has been so wrong-headed for so long that only someone free from its influences can bring the kind of change Philadelphia needs.

Police Secrecy Bill: Dangerously Misguided

Once again the Pennsylvania House has passed a bill to hide the names of police officers responsible for killings or serious injuries from public view.

House Bill 27, passed on March 20, would impede basic transparency and damage the trust between communities and the hard-working officers who serve them. It has been accurately called the police secrecy bill by the ACLU of Pennsylvania. Far from creating a “cooling-off” period, it would anger people in the communities where such incidents most frequently take place. That anger would be justified.

Furthermore it is a solution in search of a problem.

Here’s What’s Behind the Sharp Left Turn in Philly’s District Attorney Race

Here’s What’s Behind the Sharp Left Turn in Philly’s District Attorney Race

PHILADELPHIA MAGAZINE

Krasner is a civil rights attorney known for doing battle with police unions and defending the First Amendment rights of protesters ... Krasner simply wouldn’t have been a viable district attorney candidate a few years ago. He threatens the status quo as much as do Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. But he has grassroots support. ... the district attorney’s race may be a referendum on whether Philadelphia wants to be a progressive city or a Democratic one.

Pursuing Death Does Not Equal Justice

Florida State Attorney Aramis Ayala yesterday took a courageous and reasonable step in using her discretion not to pursue the death penalty in homicide matters. I applaud her decision because she recognizes, as I do, that pursuing the death penalty is “not in the best interests of this community or in the best interests of justice."

Unfortunately, my fellow candidates have declined to pledge the same, despite the fact that Philadelphia is the only northeastern city where pursuing the death penalty is still possible, and despite evidence that capital punishment has cost our city and state a billion dollars since the 1970s. This money would be better spent on public education, social workers, and addiction treatment programs, things that prevent crime and actually do make us safer.  In human terms, this money is the equivalent of 500 new public school teachers per year statewide every year since the 1970s.

Finally, it is worth remembering that since 1962 no one in Pennsylvania has been executed against their will, while six people on death row have been exonerated.

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