As a retired Philadelphia police officer, I’ve watched the headlines since I left the force in 2011 with near disbelief. What at first felt like a war on police has turned into a war on law and order.
The media, many politicians, and radical activists have successfully made the police the enemy in the eyes of many people and have even started to turn people against the basic idea of locking up the bad guys. It’s likely no coincidence that last year marked one of the bloodiest years for police officers in recent history.
The simple truth is that criminals feel emboldened and police officers feel demoralized. It’s a recipe for more violent crime. While it’s easy to blame the popular narrative, it’s important that we look at the root of the problem. Why aren’t violent criminals worried about getting caught anymore? A large part of the answer lies in the rise of district attorneys who have been propped up by wealthy, liberal megadonors.
Look to Philadelphia for a case study. District Attorney Larry Krasner is part of a social justice experiment playing out in cities across America, a “movement” of district attorneys’ offices that emphasize bail reduction, decarceration, and reduced sentences over the role prosecutors have traditionally played: giving real consequences to those who break the law as a deterrent.
Some of the other big names in this movement include Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon and Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx, both of whom have faced widespread criticism for ignoring the voices of victims and their families. These district attorneys have made it well-known to voters via slick ads paid for by leftist billionaires such as George Soros and soft-handed media coverage — buckle up for an eight-episode Krasner documentary from PBS — that there will be fewer or no consequences for crime.
What their constituents are waking up to, however, is that this message also penetrates to the criminal class.
Here in Philly, ever since Krasner was elected in 2017, he has effectively given violent criminals the keys to the city and turned our streets into a shooting range. Yearly homicides have gone up, last year reaching their highest number in 30 years. This year, murders in the city are on track to break a single-year record. Meanwhile, of the 8,500 shootings that have killed or injured people since 2015, only 9% reached a conviction. And the communities Krasner swore to help in his 2017 campaign haven’t fared well, either. Prior to Krasner taking office, 79% of shooting victims were black. Last year, that number closed at 86%.
Police morale here in Philadelphia is terrible because officers know the district attorney doesn’t have their back, as was evidenced recently when Krasner’s PR team put a step-and-repeat banner blocking a memorial honoring fallen officers. And victims and their families feel shunned and ignored, a fact that became apparent after Krasner decided to jump on a ticketed Zoom fundraiser with Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and singer John Legend instead of taking time out of his campaign schedule to address the eight-person shooting that took place just a few hours prior.
The social justice experiment is failing, but the deep-pocketed powers that be will continue bankrolling any prosecutor willing to sell their soul for elected office. I believe that as voters realize the dangerous world being created by these district attorneys, the pendulum will swing back.
Violent protests that hold cities hostage should not be tolerated. Criminals who terrorize communities with gun violence should be put in prison. And police officers who wake up to do their job of keeping us safe should be respected again. These facts were once seemingly self-evident.
I always think back to the period right after 9/11 when our country came together and stood behind law enforcement and the military. Several days after the attack, I was in New York volunteering in recovery operations at ground zero, and I witnessed perhaps the strongest example I’d ever seen of this firsthand. While I never want our country to face another tragedy like that day in 2001, I do hope to see a day when the respect of the profession returns to the mainstream.
Similarly, I hope to see a day when social justice reform is focused on a holistic, thoughtful approach to changing our system instead of throwing out any semblance of law and order and damning the public servants who don a badge and put their lives on the line every day.
Billionaires who want to defund the police and wreck our country don’t speak for everyone in America. Those who agree need to wake up, get involved, and vote.
Nick Gerace is a retired Philadelphia police officer and the founder of Protect Our Police PAC, the only organization exclusively dedicated to electing pro-police and pro-law-and-order officials to public office.
