Politics
When it comes to defense district attorney Larry Krasner, I am deeply conflicted. Not about his performance, which has been abysmal, despite one or two spots of light — such a reviewing questionable convictions, or attacking cops who lie on the stand. Knowing where he was coming from — the George Soros
Elections
Pardon me while I scratch an itch. With D.A. Larry Krasner under fire from a state committee, I keep reading or hearing he was “overwhelmingly re-elected” last year. I am underwhelmed. Here’s why: Turn ‘em Loose Larry did beat Republican opponent Chuck Peruto by 113,308 to 50,
Mummers Parade
The 2022 Mummers Parade probably had the lowest turnout and offered the least controversy in recent memory. Past controversy was sparked by actual wrongdoing -- such as 1 out of 10,000 Mummers smearing blackface (banned for more than 50 years) on their faces -- or imagined wrongdoing, such as
Journalism
At this time of year, columnists and essayists have a choice of three hackneyed traditional topics to write about -- year in review, predictions, resolutions. They’ve been done to death. Always a trail-blazer, I am going to combine all three. I expect Loyal Readers will be able to recognize
Larry Krasner
In a rare story critical of D.A. Larry Krasner, the Philadelphia Inquirer produced a report that has his own staff indicting Larry, a legal action to which he seems averse when it comes to criminals. I’ve written many times about Let ‘em Loose Larry. You know how I
Crime
Update: 6 ABC reported Wednesday night police took three suspects into custody in the armed robberies. The family took no notice as they passed the gray Honda Accord parked at 19th & Cuthbert in Center City, but the occupants of the car took notice of them. Drew Williams, his parents,
Crime
After hearing on Action News Friday there had been eight point-of-gun robberies in Center City in recent weeks, I asked the Philadelphia Police Department for the dates and locations of the six not detailed by the TV station -- 2300 Sansom and 18th and Cuthbert. The cops told me they
Elections
In Philadelphia, 2021 is what’s known as an “off-year” election because no mayor or governor candidates are heading the ticket. In Philly, the top lines are D.A., and Controller, as if those offices were not important. It is a shame, a pity and a scandal that off-year elections
Chuck Peruto
During his decades-long career as a lawyer, which included outrageous stunts in the courtroom and gossip column-worthy affairs outside of it, there is one thing that enemies will use to smear A. Charles Peruto Jr., known to friend and foe as Chuck. In May 2013, while Chuck was downashore in
Marcus Perez
On his first day of freedom, Thursday, June 17, Marcus Perz stayed up until 1 a.m., because he could. In the morning, he awakened at 5 a.m. because of the force of habit. That was just before the time convicts were awakened in the corrections facilities where he
Racism
When Lord Acton wrote that power corrupts, he could have had Lori Lightfoot in mind. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, no, she is not a supporting character on a zany teen TV series carried by some obscure cable network. She is actually the mayor of Chicago, she
Larry Krasner
In the end, it wasn’t even close. In the end, as usually is the case, the incumbent had the advantage. In the end, incumbent progressive District Attorney Larry Krasner beat his traditional liberal challenger, Carlos Vega, by a 2-1 margin in a predictably low turnout race. The turnout was