Rowhouse Logic - Breathtaking Inanity

“It’s of no interest to me. It’s not even a consideration. Whatever it costs is worth it.”

-Lynne Abraham on the Death Penalty and its costs.

I suppose that quote (The New York Times Sunday Magazine, July 16, 1995), and others just like it, illustrates why I first became interested in the 2005 Democratic Primary for Philadelphia’s District Attorney. I don’t believe that a person who boasts of such callousness with regards to the most serious, costly, and morally troublesome penalty in our criminal justice system is even remotely fit to serve as District Attorney. It’s really that cut and dry for me.

The results of Lynne Abraham’s tenure in office have been less than stellar; already this year over 100 people have been murdered in Philadelphia. If trends hold, nearly 400 human beings will have been destroyed by the time we ring in the new year, taking with them forever all the potential that they may have held. To add insult to injury, over 50% of all criminal prosecutions in Philadelphia are dismissed prior to trial, simply because the District Attorney’s office is not ready. There is a better way.

Unlike so many elections where voters find themselves strategically voting against somebody, rather voting for a candidate or idea; this election boasts one of the most exciting candidates to emerge in Philadelphia politics in a generation. That candidate is Seth Williams. Aside from the fact that Williams is superbly qualified, having served 10 years as an assistant district attorney, he is a man with ideas and vision. He brings to the table a plan to implement community based prosecution, which would assign assistant district attorneys to geographic regions of the city, allowing them to better understand the particular community they serve and its particular problems. It would also assign the same assistant district attorneys to a case from arraignment to trial, which would keep cases from falling through the cracks, and help to bring down the number of cases which are dismissed due to poor preparation. Amazing that something like this isn’t already in place.

I’ve heard Mr. Williams speak and found him to be a remarkably talented and compelling candidate, with a gift for communicating clearly and bluntly the needs of the city and his proposals for addressing them. This is precisely the sort of person this city desperately needs in public office if we are to overcome our adversities and become a more just and equitable city. As Democrats, Seth Williams is the sort of strong, idea driven, natural candidate and advocate for reform that we should all be backing.

Since I began with the death penalty, I should note that Mr. Williams has stated that he will pursue the death penalty in cases he and his assistants deem appropriate. He has made clear that he intends to pursue it less frequently, with more care, and less enthusiasm than the incumbent. While this, in the mind of a death penalty opponent such as myself, is not perfect, it is certainly a change for the better. When I last heard Lynne Abraham she indicated that death penalty opponents shouldn’t really be troubled by her because only one person in Philadelphia was sentenced to die last year. Abraham, a seasoned politician who knew she was addressing a progressive audience, didn’t bother to mention that the death penalty was pursued in all cases where it was even a remote possibility (hundreds?) but was only sought successfully once. There is a better way.

All that aside, let me tell you the main reason I’m voting for Seth Williams on May 17; several people I’ve cared for in my life have been the victims of violent crime in Philadelphia and I’ll never have the opportunity to speak to some of them ever again - We must do better. We must find a way to end the bloodbath. There is no justice in a bloodbath. There is a better way and there is a better choice for District Attorney; his name is Seth Williams.

Volunteer, Donate, and Vote.

This post is part of the Online Day of Action For Seth Williams during which several Philadelphia bloggers (and hopefully not just the little guys like me) will be writing about why we will be voting for Seth Williams on May 17. I will post links to those who participate. So far we have posts from Young Philly Politics , Above Average Jane, Philly Future, Karl and Matt of Philly Future, A Smoke Filled Room, Alex Urevick of Music For America, Philadelphia: America’s Hometown, Suburban Guerrilla, Dragonballyee, MyDD, Swing State Project, and The West End (Wow! Keep them coming). I’ve written several previous posts on Seth Williams and the primary. You can view most of them here (some unrelated stuff, sorry).

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 21st, 2005 at 1:27 am and is filed under Philadelphia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.