When Larry Krasner took over the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office in 2018 after decades as a civil rights and defense lawyer, he quickly overhauled staffing, set policy goals, and instituted a series of tone-setting mandates. For instance, when requesting a prison sentence, each prosecutor was told to state in court the estimated cost to taxpayers of the incarceration. But several busy .
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When Larry Krasner was elected as Philadelphia district attorney four years ago, he promised to bring “transformational change” to an office and to a criminal justice system that, he said, “has systematically picked on poor people, primarily black and brown people.”
“If you, like us, believe it’s time to end the death penalty,” the veteran civil rights lawyer told the crowd that packed into the city’s William Way LGBT Community Center. “If you believe it’s time to end mass incarceration. If you believe it’s time to stop making prisoners of poor people by using cash bail. If you are sick and tired of government stealing grandma’s house when she didn’t do an
eye on the news
Death and De-Prosecution in Philadelphia The city’s district attorney won’t fight crime even as the body count rises.
Public safety
Politics and law
In 2017, Philadelphians elected “progressive prosecutor” Larry Krasner as district attorney. Since taking office, Krasner has pursued a policy of de-prosecution the decision not to prosecute certain crimes regardless of whether they actually took place as homicides have spiked. While Philadelphia experienced de-prosecution and rising homicides leading up to Krasner’s election, both trends have accelerated dramatically under his leadership. That he now faces a serious primary challenge in his quest for reelection should come as no surprise.
LaTonya Myers (Credit: Yoni Brook)
LaTonya “T.” Myers, Activist and Bail Navigator, Defender Association
Formerly incarcerated person-turned-activist and the first-ever Bail Navigator for the Defender Association of Philadelphia, a position to help those arrested navigate the bail review system.
Prior to joining the Defender Association, Myers’s life was upended while she sat in jail saddled with a $1,500 bail that she couldn’t afford to pay. She’d been in and out of the system for much of her life, but the issue of unaffordable bail and pretrial incarceration turned her onto activism.
Gave out what she called the Probation Awards, a ceremony recognizing people “doing their best to do good, but living under constant threat of incarceration.”
Gov. Ed Rendell Joins The Dom Giordano Program To Discuss Vega Endorsement RADIO.COM 3 hrs ago
Governor Ed Rendell Endorses Carlos Vega For Philadelphia DA
Former Governor of Pennsylvania Ed Rendell rejoins the Dom Giordano Program to discuss his endorsement for Carlos Vega in the District Attorney race in Philadelphia, as Vega takes on controversial incumbent DA Larry Krasner. First, Giordano asks Rendell, being a former Philadelphia District Attorney himself, why he is choosing Vega over Krasner. Rendell explains that Krasner has done some positive things, but doesn’t recognize or is unwilling to do the first and most important part of a DA’s job, to protect the citizens of the city. Then, Rendell explains his history with Mr. Vega, telling how Vega performed during Rendell’s reign as DA. Also, Rendell explains past shortcomings by the Krasner administration, also explaining why other Democrats, similarly to Rendell, refuse to endorse the incumbent.