Soros-backed prosecutor wreaking havoc in Philly

FPI / November 1, 2020

Rioting in Philadelphia this week resulted in at least 10 people being shot, injuries to at least 30 police officers and the looting of several businesses.

The rioting erupted after the police involved shooting of 27-year-old Walter Wallace Jr., who reports say had charged at police while brandishing a knife.

District Attorney Larry Krasner vowed a full investigation into the shooting. Krasner also praised "peaceful demonstrations" but "said nothing specific about the mayhem and violence," the City Journal noted.

Two years ago, Krasner was elected district attorney of Philadelphia. Krasner's campaign was largely made possible by George Soros, who pumped more than $1.4 million into the campaign.

During Krasner's election night victory party, supporters on hand chanted “F— the FOP [the Fraternal Order of Police]” and “No good cops in a racist system!”

Krasner did not tell them to stop. "Instead, he smiled approvingly," Cully Stimson and Zack Smith noted in an Oct. 29 analysis for The Daily Signal.

"Unfortunately, Krasner is one of many elected rogue prosecutors around the country who have usurped the legislative power by refusing to prosecute large categories of crimes. By refusing to hold criminals to account, Krasner and his ilk abuse the power of their offices and harm victims and their communities as a result," the analysis noted.

"A straight line can often be drawn from their anti-cop attitudes and their radically dangerous policies to increases in violent crime."

In Krasner's case, those policies led directly to the murder of Philadelphia Police Cpl. James O’Connor, the analysis said.

O'Connor, a 23-year veteran of the Department, "would likely be alive today if Krasner had done his job. Instead, Hassan Elliott, a career felon, parole violator, and wanted murderer, gunned down and killed O’Connor on March 13."

The United States attorney in Philadelphia, William McSwain, said in a statement: “The murder was the direct result of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s pro-violent defendant policies.”

McSwain detailed how Krasner’s office, following Krasner’s policy guidance, allowed Elliott to roam the streets and kill O’Connor, and includes disturbing facts such as:

• Krasner’s office gave Elliott a sweetheart deal on a gun charge.
• Elliott violated his parole on the gun charge by being arrested for possession of cocaine.
• Krasner’s office took no action on Elliott’s parole violation.
• Krasner’s office, following Krasner’s lax bail policies, allowed Elliott to be released on his own recognizance despite his 2018 firearms conviction.
• Elliott then murdered Tyree Tyrone after he violated his parole while out on bail.
• Krasner’s office withdrew the cocaine charges against Elliott, after the Tyrone murder, despite the fact that Elliott failed to appear for his court appearance on the cocaine charges.
• Krasner’s office failed to detain Elliott, allowing him to prey on more victims, and ultimately to gun down O’Connor.

In their analysis, Stimson and Smith noted: "Two hundred and thirty-five additional murder victims, and counting. That’s how many extra dead people there have been in total in the city of Philadelphia since Krasner took over."

McSwain has repeatedly called out Krasner, saying that his “radical experiment has failed,” that he is “fed up” with Krasner’s “new culture of disrespect for law enforcement,” and that you can “draw a straight line from these policies to the carnage on the streets.”

Other statistics on Krasner's watch:

• There have been 7.152 auto thefts in 2020 (as of Oct. 25).
• Commercial burglaries are up 130 percent over last year.
• Aggravated assaults with a gun are up 42 percent.

Free Press International