Larry Krasner was accused in the op-ed of ‘white wokeness’
By Andrew Mark Miller| Fox News
Philadelphia’s former Democratic mayor blasted the city’s current Democratic district attorney and called his recent comments on the record crime surge in Philadelphia as among the most “ignorant” and “insulting” comments ever spoken by an elected official.
The 521 murders represent a 13% increase compared to 2020 and the city’s highest number of killings since at least 2007.
Former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, who served in office as a Democrat from 2008 to 2016, took issue with Krasner’s characterization of the murder uptick in an op-ed published by the Philadelphia Inquirer Tuesday.
“District Attorney Larry Krasner’s recent remarks about whether we are experiencing a crime crisis are some of the worst, most ignorant, and most insulting comments I have ever heard spoken by an elected official,” Nutter wrote.
Nutter then accused Krasner of “white wokeness” and “white privilege.”
“It takes a certain audacity of ignorance and white privilege to say that right now,” Nutter, a black man, wrote in the article. “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. 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 asked Krasner in the article how many more black and brown Philadelphians have to die before he will refer to the rise in murders as a “crisis” while also calling for a public apology.
Nutter called on Krasner, whose campaign for district attorney was heavily funded by progressive megadonor George Soros, to be more active in prosecuting crimes and accused him of pushing an “anti-police” narrative.
Krasner has cited statistics showing the rate of total violent offenses in the city is down about 3% year-over-year, with armed robberies – which have increased 27% since 2020 – being the only other violent crime besides homicide that has gone up in 2021. Rape, unarmed robberies and aggravated assaults have decreased since last year. Property crime has risen 5% year-over-year.
“It’s important that we don’t let this become mushy and bleed into the notion that there is some kind of big spike in crime,” Krasner said Monday. “There isn’t. There is not a big spike in crime. …There is not a big spike in violent crime. Neither one of these things is true.”
Krasner’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Last month, Krasner cruised to a reelection victory, beating a Republican challenger who accused him of being soft on crime by nearly 40 points.
PHILADELPHIA DA KRASNER SAYS CITY DOES NOT ‘HAVE A CRISIS OF CRIME’ DESPITE RECORD HOMICIDES
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner responded to the city’s crime surge, which includes 521 murders so far this year, by saying earlier this week, “We don’t have a crisis of lawlessness, we don’t have a crisis of crime, we don’t have a crisis of violence.”
Philadelphia DA Krasner says city doesn not ‘have a crisis of crime’ despite record homicides
Philadelphia Police Department reported 521 homicides so far in 2021, a 13% increase compared to 2020
Krasner insisted that while the city has seen a spike in gun violence, residents should not be worried about rising crime in general.
“We don’t have a crisis of lawlessness, we don’t have a crisis of crime, we don’t have a crisis of violence,” the district attorney told reporters at a Monday press conference. “It’s important that we don’t let this become mushy and bleed into the notion that there is some kind of big spike in crime. There isn’t. There is not a big spike in crime. … There is not a big spike in violent crime. Neither one of these things is true.”
Despite the fact that gun violence has gone “way up,” other indicators, “which usually go up and down with gun violence,” are staying “relatively flat,” Krasner said.
The Philadelphia Police Department has reported 521 homicides so far in 2021 – a 13% increase compared to 2020 and the city’s highest number of killings since at least 2007. Shooting incidents have increased 4.4%, and the number of shooting victims has risen about 3% over the last year.
The rate of total violent offenses in the city, however, is down about 3% year-over-year, with armed robberies – which have increased 27% since 2020 – being the only other violent crime besides homicide that has gone up in 2021. Rape, unarmed robberies and aggravated assaults have decreased since last year. Property crime has risen 5% year-over-year.
“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 said, adding that people coming into the city “should not” be concerned about violent crime, he continued.
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