Statement on PA GOP attempts to impeach popularly elected DA Larry Krasner by Chuck Gondos, Neighborhood and Electoral Organizer

Statement on PA GOP attempts to impeach popularly elected DA Larry Krasner by Chuck Gondos, Neighborhood and Electoral Organizer

Three Republicans in the PA State House, two representing districts over 300 miles from Philadelphia, have commenced circulation of a co-sponsorship memo for supporters of articles of impeachment for Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. Citing “widespread lawlessness” and “that the people of the city aren't backing him,” State Representatives Tim O’Neal (48th District), Josh Kail (15th District), and Torren Ecker (193rd District) have continued the Republican pattern of legislating for the disenfranchisement of Democratic run cities like Philadelphia. All of this while Republican’s in Harrisburg manipulate parliamentary procedure and cancel sessions dedicated to debate on gun-safety bills and a new fiscal year budget that could invest state dollars in programs that support our most vulnerable and marginalized communities.

Let us be clear that we see this as an attempt to disenfranchise Black and brown voters in Philadelphia. DA Krasner was elected with 66% of the vote in the 2021 Primary and nearly doubled the vote total of his closest rival in a 2017 6-way primary. He won reelection because has taken a different path than his predecessors. A path that is looking to solve Philadelphia’s expensive mass incarceration crisis, looking at drug addiction as a public health issue and not a “criminal behavior,” and ending dubious law enforcement tactics that drive division between police and the neighborhoods they are supposed to protect. Futhermore, the Philadelphia DAO’s Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) has exonerated 25 people (including one person on multiple cases) since 2018 who collectively were incarcerated for over 470 years. Instead of focusing on real solutions to gun violence and economic inequality PA Republicans are focused on attacking a wildly popular District Attorney in the poorest big-city in America.

Fortunately, these impeachment proceedings are unlikely to lead to a removal of DA Krasner—but that isn’t stopping them. Two other bills have been introduced to place term limits and weaken the charging authority of DA Krasner. PA House Bill 2238, introduced by Northeast Philadelphia State Rep, Trump sycophant, and FOP ally, Martina White (170th District), looks to place term limits on DA Krasner and any future DA for the city of Philadelphia. Republicans in Harrisburg are also looking to limit DA Krasner’s power even further. In 2019, a last second and now expired amendment giving the PA State Attorney General’s Office equal jurisdiction for some Philadelphia gun-related cases—and only Philadelphia—was signed into law by PA Governor Tom Wolf. With Republicans threatening to reintroduce similar “co-jurisdiction” legislation, fighting for term limits exclusive to one elected-position in Philadelphia, and outright impeachment of an overwhelmingly popular DA, there are a few questions to ask. How far will Republicans go to disenfranchise voters in Philadelphia? When will they come to the table with real community focused legislation to stem gun-violence across the state? And will the Democrat Party stand up to voter disenfranchisement and demand that our votes count?

Since DA Krasner was elected we’ve seen 25 people exonerated who would have still been in prison to this day and relieved the prison population of more than 28,000 years. We need to keep families together, high-quality educational opportunities regardless of finances or ability, and community enriching criminal justice reform. We need our local democratic process to be respected at every level of government and the power to make our own legislation to keep our communities safe and thriving. We need to have an effective DA that will hold suspects and police officers equally accountable as required by law. Philadelphia chose abolition and second chances. The last thing we need is another Republican trying to disenfranchise Philadelphian electoral rights.