Philadelphia’s progressive district attorney seeks third term as shootings decline. Critics contend he’s soft on criminals | Philadelphia

This story was originally published by the Trace, a nonprofit newsroom covering gun violence in America. Sign up for his newsletters here.

As Philadelphia prosecutor Larry Krasner tried to explain, a thoughtful scowl replaced the look of assured confidence usually etched on his face.

With weeks before the Nov. 4 general election, political rivals and community members were questioning a key decision. In May, his office dropped kidnapping and domestic violence charges against a man who in October was charged with another crime: the murder of Kada Scott, a 23-year-old former Miss Pennsylvania USA beauty pageant contestant and recent college graduate. So on October 20, Krasner waded through a press conference he had called to announce that police had found Scott’s body in a shallow grave and that Keon King, 21, had been charged with crimes related to his kidnapping.

“The buck stops here, it’s mine,” said a sullen Krasner. “But I also believe,” he continued, “it’s a difficult situation, particularly in domestic cases, when a defendant is at large and will be going in and out of the courthouse doors.”

It was a convoluted explanation, in which Krasner blamed others while blaming himself. The moment showed unusual vulnerability for a politician who has become one of the country’s most prominent prosecutors, a progressive pillar of the criminal law reform movement.

“I recognize again that we could have done better in terms of… the decisions that were made,” he said. Days later, the city medical examiner’s office said Scott died from a single gunshot to the head.

The revelation that Krasner had failed to try King emerged just as he appeared to be heading comfortably into his third term. The case injected drama into an uneventful race between Krasner and his Republican challenger Patrick Dugan, a retired municipal court judge who switched parties after losing the Democratic primary in May.

But Krasner has outlasted his peers in other cities, and political experts expect him to weather this crisis, too. While Krasner remained in office, progressive prosecutors who took office following the wave of racial reckoning sparked by police killings of unarmed black people fell out of favor with voters. Krasner has one key difference: Lawyers across the country have been criticized for the spike in violence following the Covid-19 pandemic. Krasner presided over a record decline.

“This tragedy and the way his office handled the situation is inexcusable,” said Larry Ceisler, a public relations executive and longtime political observer in Philadelphia, referring to Scott’s killing. “But it’s easy to look back on mistakes like this and criticize them. It won’t make any difference in the campaign.”

“The prosecutor dropped the ball”

Scott’s death has sparked anger and emotion like few other crimes in recent years. More than 100 people gathered for a balloon release at the abandoned Germantown school where Scott’s remains were found. Most of those who spoke to the Trace there declined to discuss the political fallout, focusing instead on Scott. “Say her name, Kada Scott!” » chanted the group. A man was playing Taps on a trumpet. Scott’s friends and others who had never met her gave moving speeches and hugged each other before releasing white balloons into the sky.

Catherine Daniel, 62, was in no mood to stay silent about Krasner, however. “The prosecutor dropped the ball, because this guy shouldn’t have been walking down the street,” she said. “We need to get him out of there, he needs to leave.”

“The whole office dropped the ball. They said things were going to change in the future,” she continued. “Why did it take this young woman’s life to make change? »

Desiree Whitfield, who organized a vigil after Scott’s body was found, shared similar sentiments. “We have to blame the prosecutor’s office because they let [King] ” she said. “What are you going to do differently so that our beautiful, black, educated women don’t end up in shallow graves?”

Krasner’s resistance

Like many of his progressive prosecutor peers, critics have accused Krasner of being “soft on crime” and prioritizing reducing the prison population over incarcerating violent criminals. Like his peers, he sparked anger by condemning police officers who killed people on the job.

Many Philadelphians, however, credit Krasner with helping stem the bloodshed in the city, which peaked at 562 homicides in 2021 but is expected to be well below half that number by the end of the year. During the last week of October, there were 190 homicides, a reduction of 9.95% compared to the same period last year.

That may explain why Krasner remains popular, including among local crime-fighting organizations, which his office and the city regularly provide in operating grants.

“He’s on the ballot, he’s our candidate, everyone supports him,” said retired U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, who has chaired the Philadelphia Democratic Party since 1986. “People like him; they think he’s doing a good job. I think he gets a bad rap from people who say he’s soft-spoken.”

David Kennedy, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said that while it is impossible to know how much credit a prosecutor should receive for reducing crime, those who have remained popular, like Krasner and Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, have done so by going beyond simply expressing what they oppose.

“Krasner has, for example, played a very important role in violence prevention efforts in Philadelphia, including the group violence intervention that my office supported,” Kennedy said. “Progressive prosecutors who have been successful… have played an important role in these partnerships.

For his part, Krasner said his critics should give him some credit. “Do they want to return to [former DA] Ron Castille’s 500 murders he committed in one year? he said. “Or would they like to be in a place where homicides are around 200? Obviously I don’t agree with 200 homicides. I wish it was zero.

Who is Larry Krasner?

Before winning his first election in November 2017, Krasner, the father of two adult sons, spent decades as a civil rights and criminal defense attorney, during which time he sued Philadelphia police 75 times for misconduct.

As prosecutor, he pursued what he calls an “agenda of reform” that includes denouncing President Donald Trump; combating mass incarceration with alternative sentencing; not requesting cash bail for certain nonviolent crimes; prosecute police officers when there is evidence to do so; re-examine old cases to reveal wrongful convictions; not charge for possession of marijuana for personal use; not charge for most prostitution crimes; and charging petty retail thefts as summary offenses.

Krasner’s approach has earned him supporters and detractors, including Republican state lawmakers who unsuccessfully tried to impeach and remove him from office in 2022.

That same year, San Francisco voters recalled DA Chesa Boudin. Portland, Ore., DA Mike Schmidt received 76.6% of the vote in his first election in 2020, but was defeated in last year’s Democratic primary; Pamela Price, who in 2023 became the first Black woman DA of Alameda County, which includes Oakland, California, was recalled by voters; Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón lost last year’s election to former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman.

Krasner refutes the idea that progressives are losing influence, noting that a handful of progressive prosecutors have won elections recently. As for his continued popularity, Krasner hypothesizes that the public prefers nontraditional politicians.

“That’s the only way I can explain the phenomenon of people who supported Barack Obama and also supported Donald Trump. Some of them also supported Bernie Sanders,” he said. “If you try to find the common thread of their support, it’s that they were seen somewhat differently as outsiders, as disruptors.”

Krasner said the Democratic Party has reached a point where, to remain competitive, it must “spread its tent” to retain young, middle-class, black and brown voters, some of whom he says have been fleeced by Trump.

“We’re at a moment where the public is looking for what they feel is not traditional politics, but rather directly addressing the issues,” he said. “I intend to continue telling the truth until people listen to me.”

The consequences of dropping charges

Years of progress on gun violence and general goodwill may not have prepared Krasner for the Scott case, which unleashed the type of chaos that swept away his peers. Those who want to see him removed from office take note.

“I believe Larry Krasner enabled Keon King,” Dugan, Krasner’s opponent, said on Fox News. “I call him a co-conspirator in his murder.”

The case dates back to January, when King allegedly kidnapped and assaulted an ex-girlfriend. He was arrested in April. Krasner’s office withdrew the charges in May after the victim and a witness refused to cooperate with prosecutors, he said.

While admitting his office could have tried the case without the victim’s cooperation, Krasner blamed the judge for releasing King on low bail, which the prosecutor said could have contributed to the victim deciding not to show up in court out of fear for her safety.

When asked why his office did not appeal the bail decision, Krasner said it was a strategic decision not to call a judge in the middle of the night, which could have upset the judge and resulted in an even lower bail. Krasner’s critics pounced on this assertion.

Municipal Courts spokesman Marty O’Rourke accused Krasner of trying to scapegoat the judge. “With all due respect, the DA and his team know that municipal court and common pleas court judges are available 24/7 and ready at all hours to handle emergency court matters,” he said. “The prosecutor’s comments are terribly disrespectful and a sad attempt by him to find a scapegoat for his own failures.”

King is scheduled to hold a preliminary hearing in Scott’s murder on Nov. 10. Krasner’s office refiled the charges it had dropped against him for the previous case.