The number of exoneration requests filed with the Office of the Philadelphia District Attorney in the first four months of 2018 exceeded those on record for the entire calendar year of 2017, according to reporting published by Billy Penn. The uptick appears to be explained by one factor: a change in culture and personnel, particularly in the chief role.
This time last year, Mr. Seth Williams was the city’s top prosecutor, and he was fending off calls for him to resign due to accusations of severe malfeasance. Mr. Williams on May 9th was indicted on 22 counts of corruption. On June 29th, the once highly-regarded prosecutor plead guilty to one count of accepting a bribe, resigned from office, and was taken into federal custody. Today, Mr. Williams continues to serve out his five-year federal prison sentence.
As Mr. Williams descended from grace, Mr. Larry Krasner – then a criminal defense attorney who was a vocal critic of the DA’s office – was on the cusp of a meteoric rise. He was a standout progressive candidate in a crowded DA race where his competitors were mostly uninspiring and forgettable moderates.
It wasn’t hard to recall Mr. Krasner if you saw and heard him on the campaign trial. He was intensely critical of the culture in the DA’s office, and he was backed by a diverse group of activists and organizers, some who were more outspoken and recognizable than others. In short, Mr. Krasner was the quintessential outsider.
The language he used quickly endeared him to marginalized groups but alienated him from elements of the establishment. And his landslide election victory in November cemented him as the people’s champion.
Considering the aforementioned, it’s not surprising that, upon Mr. Kranser’s inauguration, prisoners who claim to be wrongfully accused – like Mr. Gary McWhorter, who has been in prison for murder since the 1980s and who in March had an exoneration request filed on his behalf – are seemingly hopeful en masse.
Not long after taking office, Mr. Krasner gave a boost in power to the Conviction Integrity Unit and hired Ms. Patricia Cummings, a former defense lawyer, prosecutor and lecturer at UT Austin School of Law, to lead it. The CIU this year has seen a total of 179 request, and among them is one filed by Ms. Vonnie Floyd for Mr. McWhorter, who had his story told recently by Philadelphia journalist Mr. Phillip Jackson.
Mr. Krasner, both before and after his election, has earned much media attention. His brand is unlike that which has ever graced the halls of the Office of the District Attorney and the public appears to understand that, even if they disagree with his methods and priorities.
Those methods and priorities appear unconventional to some. But to others, mainly the prisoners who are proclaiming their innocence, it’s a righteous agenda, one representative of a messiah for those who are aggrieved.
Thanks for reading! Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® and I’m Drumming for Justice!™
What’s your take on what you just read? Comment below or write a response and submit to us your own point of view or reaction here at the red box, below, which links to our submissions portal.
◊♦◊
Sign up for our Writing Prompts email to receive writing inspiration in your inbox twice per week.
If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project, please join us as a Premium Member, today.
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS.
A $50 annual membership gives you an all-access pass. You can be a part of every call, group, class, and community.
A $25 annual membership gives you access to one class, one Social Interest group, and our online communities.
A $12 annual membership gives you access to our Friday calls with the publisher, our online community.
Register New Account
Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.
◊♦◊
Get the best stories from The Good Men Project delivered straight to your inbox, here.
Photo courtesy of the author.