Politics

Former Democratic Mayor Writes Scathing Op-Ed After Major City’s DA Denies There’s Major Crime Problem

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Former Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter, a Democrat, issued a rebuke of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, castigating Krasner for his positions on crime which Nutter alleged led to a record increase in homicide.

“As of Monday night, 521 people, souls, spirits have been vanquished, eliminated, murdered in our City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection, the most since 1960,” Nutter, who served as Mayor of Philadelphia from 2008 to 2016 wrote Tuesday in The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I have to wonder what kind of messed up world of white wokeness Krasner is living in to have so little regard for human lives lost, many of them Black and brown, while he advances his own national profile as a progressive district attorney.”

Nutter was responding to comments made by Krasner at a press conference, in which he declared “we don’t have a crisis of lawlessness, we don’t have a crisis of crime, we don’t have a crisis of violence.”

Krasner, whose election campaign received a large donation from left-wing billionaire George Soros, often chooses not to prosecute low-level crimes, The New York Times reported. These crimes going without prosecution include prostitution and drug offenses, Fox 45 reported.

Nutter argued that these policies were leading to a spike in violent crime.

“Krasner should also use his words to send a message to the shooters, murderers, and criminals of this city by committing to actually prosecute them, rather than coddle them, make excuses, reduce or drop charges,” Nutter wrote. “He should commit to locking them up for carrying illegal weapons or shooting people.”

Philadelphia is experiencing record crime rates, with 523 homicides so far in 2021 as of Dec. 8, according to data from the Philadelphia Police Department. The figure is a 13% increase year-to-date compared to 2020 and nearly double the amount of total year-end homicides in 2016, before Krasner took office.

“I’d like to ask Krasner: How many more Black and brown people, and others, would have to be gunned down in our streets daily to meet your definition of a ‘crisis’?’” Nutter wrote. “How many more children and teens have to die in record numbers to capture your attention, and be considered a ‘crisis’?’”

Since Nutter wrote the op-ed, two more homicides have taken place. Nutter called for Krasner to resign over his policies.

“If Krasner does not have the fortitude or the guts to carry out those duties, he should resign and turn things over to someone who is not trying to sell Philadelphians on the false choice of having either public safety or police reform,” Nutter wrote.