Krasner urges Philadelphians to resist National Guard troops – with their phones

If and when federal military troops move into Philadelphia, District Attorney Larry Krasner wants residents to resist authoritarian incursion with their phones.

“When … people are trying to do things that do not withstand scrutiny, we can video that,” he told the crowd at a West Philadelphia town hall, the first of a citywide series called Be the Light, Bring the Light that he is holding to share strategies for resisting a potential National Guard deployment. “There are some people who like to erase history. We are going to record history. We are not going to let the history be erased.”

The cellphone cameras of vigilant Philadelphians, Krasner explained, will be critical components of documenting – for the courts and posterity – violations of civil or constitutional rights that may occur.

“We need you … to resist an effort to overthrow the government of the United States,” Krasner told the crowd at Salt & Light Church. “To make it feel normal when they roll tanks, shut down elections and lock up people because of their background or their skin color or their gender.”

Despite the fact that crime rates have plunged in cities across America – in Philadelphia, the homicide rate has reached a 60-year low – President Donald Trump recently ordered the deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., and signed a memo this week to do the same in Memphis under the pretext of reducing crime. Additionally, he has frequently signaled that other American cities could be next, including New Orleans, St. Louis and Philadelphia.

In Philadelphia, local officials have characterized the strategy as a dangerous and unwanted incursion into American communities.

“Tanks rolling down 52nd Street don’t make us safe,” affirmed City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who represents West Philadelphia and spoke alongside Krasner at the event. “Real safety comes from trust between the community and law enforcement … President Trump could not care less about the safety of our communities … So what does he want? Fear, chaos, soldiers in our streets so he can advance his racist authoritarian agenda.”

Krasner made clear that “the real emergency is Donald Trump,” as he put it. “Almost everything that this president is doing is detrimental to public safety … The real urgency is someone who wants to come up with a reason to roll tanks to overthrow the government.”

And he did not mince words about what he viewed as the motivations behind Trump’s MAGA movement.

“These people don’t believe in equality at all,” Krasner said. “These are people who agree with Adolf Hitler when he said that equality is a ‘degenerate notion.’” At the mention of Hitler, a young man leapt to his feet and heckled Krasner for some minutes before being restrained and returning to his seat.

“It should be no surprise to you that there are people who have come to try and derail this,” Krasner said as the hubbub subsided. “But we need to keep our eye on the prize … We will not be derailed.”