Krasner Runs From Record Of Futility In Prosecuting Gun Crimes

By Ralph Cipriano

for BigTrial.net

It was like watching a game of pin the tail on the donkey.

For 12 minutes yesterday morning, Fox 29 Good Day hosts Mike Jerrick and Alex Holley tried in vain to pin down District Attorney Larry Krasner on his culpability for the city's raging gun violence.

It's the big issue, actually it's the only issue on May 18th, when the city's registered Democrats go to the polls to elect a candidate in the Democratic primary for District Attorney. And in Philadelphia, where Democrats outnumber Republicans 7 to 1, the May 18th primary is the only election that matters. 

But during the Fox 29 interview, D.A. Larry Krasner did some tap-dancing right out of vaudeville in his attempt to evade all responsibility for the blood in the streets.

Krasner did it by playing with his cat on camera, citing bogus statistics, and launching into diversionary political attacks on Donald Trump, the FOP, the Proud Boys, and Carlos Vega, his opponent in the Democrat primary. Basically, Krasner pulled every stunt he could think of to try and avoid accountability for the failures of his office over the past four years.

But it didn't work. When it comes to the city's record gun violence, the D.A.'s own crime statistics posted on his official office website show that Larry Krasner owns a record of futility and incompetence that should incite voters to throw him out of office.

Affable host Jerrick kicked off yesterday's interview by running down the previous day's body count.  

"Another violent night in Philadelphia," Jerrick said. "I'm sure you heard all about it. We had, let's see, eight different locations, nine people hit by bullets, two of them killed, this over a six-hour period."

"I would think on May the 18th, that's gonna be the number one issue, why we would pull a lever for either you or Carlos Vega," Jerrick said. Then he lobbed a softball, by asking Krasner whether it was "unfair to blame a district attorney for an uptick in gun violence."

Right on cue, Krasner started tap-dancing.

"I think it's important that we all do all we can," Krasner began, before lamenting that "It's absolutely heartbreaking the number of kids we see shot."

"It's a very painful situation for everyone," Krasner stated. Next, Krasner claimed that he was always showing up at crime scenes around the city, presumably with his three bodyguards in tow, in addition to holding hospital vigils at the bedsides of gunshot victims.

What a samaritan. Every day, Krasner implied, he's wringing his blood-stained hands and crying crocodile tears over the gun violence that he's responsible for.

Next, it was time to trot out some bogus statistics. Krasner claimed that before the Covid pandemic hit, his office had an "85 percent conviction rate for shootings." Then he tried to blame Philadelphia's gun violence on larger societal forces.

"What's happening here is happening all over the country," Krasner said. In big cities, Krasner claimed, the murder rate "went up on average 40% and that is exactly the increase we have in Philadelphia."

But his numbers were way off, and the TV hosts called him on it.

"We're on a pace for 600 murders," Jerrick reminded Krasner.

"It's pretty terrible" what's happening in Philadelphia, Krasner admitted, before saying, "What we have to do is try to do better."

Yeah right.

Krasner then trotted out another bogus statistic, claiming that over "the last six weeks," his office, thanks to a new collaboration with Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, has had a "90% rate of gun violence cases being held over for trial."

Congratulations, Larry. If only your incompetent prosecutors could win some of those trials. 

Jerrick brought Krasner back to earth by saying that when the voters go to the polls on May 18th, they won't be thinking about those positive developments from Krasner's new collaboration with the police commissioner over the last "five or six weeks." Instead, they'll be thinking about Krasner's dismal record of crimefighting over the past four years.

Holley trotted out a Philadelphia Inquirer study that showed that during Krasner's time in office, gun arrests by the cops have nearly tripled while on Krasner's watch, the conviction rate for gun crimes has dropped from 63% to 49%.

Then Fox 29 rolled video of Vega on Good Day the previous week, when he ripped Krasner for "why he is dropping the charges on so many gun cases."

That gave Krasner the opportunity to dodge the question, and instead launch into a rambling attack on Vega, and the FOP, which is supporting Vega.

"Carlos Vega has claimed that I don't hire people of color," Krasner said, before aiming another broadside at Vega for his role as a last-minute substitute prosecutor in a 28-year-old murder case that matters only to Krasner and his band of social justice groupies. 

"Carlos Vega and the truth are not friends," Krasner declared. Vega "will say anything to win," Krasner continued. "He did it in the courtroom, he'll do it in an election."

I'm no psychiatrist, but something happens when Krasner sees Vega and starts talking about a lying, unscrupulous politician who'll say anything to get elected; it's called projecting.

Then, rather than address his record on prosecuting gun violence, Krasner proceeded to attack the head of the FOP for supporting Donald Trump, for calling Black Lives Matter "a pack of rabid animals," for allegedly having beers with the Proud Boys, and for registering Republicans as Democrats, so they can vote for Vega. 

It was quite a performance, but Vega doesn't have to make up any statistics when he goes after Krasner.

First, there's the city's record murder rate.

Since 2017, the year Krasner got elected, the annual murder rate in Philadelphia has jumped from 315 to 499 last year, a 58% increase. Those 499 murders last year amounted to the the highest total in 30 years, since the height of the crack cocaine epidemic.

This year, with 163 murders as of April 28th, the murder rate is up another 31% over last year, putting the city on pace for an all-time record rate of 653 murders. It that happens, it would be a whopping 107% increase in the murder rate since Krasner took office.

When Vega said Krasner has to take responsibility for dropping the charges in so many gun cases, he was citing crime statistics published on the district attorney's own official website.

Those numbers show that this year under Krasner, the D.A.'s office, staffed by inexperienced and incompetent prosecutors, has compiled another pathetic record of futility.

According to the D.A'.s own crime statistics, as of March 31st, out of 48 shooting cases that went to court, a total of 22 cases, or 46%, were either withdrawn, dismissed or tried to a verdict of not guilty. Meanwhile, only 3 of those 48 shooting cases, or 6.2%, resulted in a guilty verdict.

Of 85 gunpoint robbery cases that went to court this year, 63, or 74%, were either dismissed, withdrawn or tried to a verdict of not guilty. Only two cases, or 2.3% resulted in a guilty verdict.

Of 131 cases of aggravated assault with a gun that went to court this year, 113 cases, or 86%, were either dismissed, withdrawn or tried to a verdict of not guilty. Only one case resulted in a guilty verdict.

And finally, out of 233 gun possession cases, 152 cases, or 65%, were either dismissed, withdrawn or tried to a verdict of not guilty. Only five cases, or 2.1%, resulted in a guilty verdict.

The grand totals for Larry Krasner's D.A.'s office: As of March 31st, out of 497 gun crime cases that went to court this year, 350 cases, or 70%, were either dismissed, withdrawn or tried to a verdict of not guilty. And only 11 cases, or 2.2% resulted in a guilty verdict.

Of course, 70% of the defendants who were arrested by the cops for gun crimes, but emancipated by the ineptitude of the D.A.'s office, were then free to go out and commit more gun crimes. As the police commissioner has said, when it comes to prosecuting gun crimes, the D.A. operates a "revolving door."

These are the numbers from the D.A.'s own website. And this is the record of incompetence that Larry Krasner is stuck with. 

And no amount of tap-dancing that he does on TV, or playing with his cat, is going to change that.

Memo to the voters: On May 18th, let's hold Larry Krasner responsible for the  incompetence of the D.A.'s office that he has led for the past four years. 

On May 18th, it's time to fire Larry Krasner.