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Rosalind Pichardo (left), founder of Operation Save Our City, lost her brother to gun violence in 2012, and Aleida Garcia (right), lost her son to gun violence in 2015. They organized a rally on May 11, 2021, in support of Carlos Vega, a prosecutor who’s running for Philadelphia district attorney. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
A small group of crime victims gathered Tuesday in the shadow of the Municipal Services Building to denounce Philadelphia District Larry Krasner ahead of the Democratic primary on May 18.
Rows of faux body bags and handmade headstones stood on the concrete plaza behind them. Posters featuring the faces of murder victims with unsolved cases rounded out the grim display.
Meet Carlos Vega
Aleida Silva-Garcia stood in front of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office on Dec. 16 and spoke about murder.
“Alejandro Rojas-Garcia was murdered on Jan. 24, 2015 by a complete stranger with a history of gun-related arrests and convictions,” she said.
“Alex is my brother.”
Speaking at the announced candidacy of Carlos Vega for DA in the upcoming Democratic primary, Aleida Silva Garcia criticized the current DA, Larry Krasner, and praised former homicide prosecutor, Carlos Vega.
“I felt he understood our pain and was serious and hardworking. He was always available to speak with us and answer our questions. For three years, we worked together until the current district attorney changed everything without notice,” she said.
Updated on December 16, 2020 at 4:07 pm
NBC10
This article was updated with a statement from Krasner s re-election campaign.
The 2021 primaries in Pennsylvania are six months away, but in Philadelphia, the campaign field for district attorney is already starting to form.
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Carlos Vega, a former career prosecutor, says he will run against incumbent DA Larry Krasner in the May 2021 Democratic primary. He formally announced his candidacy Wednesday in a news conference in front of the DA s office.
Vega cast the race as a battle against surging violence in the city and touted his experience on homicide cases. He and three other speakers - all relatives of murder victims - repeatedly mentioned the year s record homicide total as 471. The latest Philadelphia Police data lists it as 473. In 2019, there were 356 homicides, up from 353 in 2018.