Veteran reporter Ralph Cipriano offers
his take on the Philly DA’s reaction to South Philly people protecting their neighborhoods
and the statute of Christopher Columbus at Bigtrial net. He also covers the transfer of a popular
South Philly police captain.
In the upside-down world of District
Attorney Larry Krasner, he's working to free most of the 2,000 looters and
demonstrators arrested by cops during the protests.
But Krasner has already indicted one cop
for allegedly using excessive force during the protests, and he's looking to
indict a few more. And yesterday, the Progressive D.A. announced plans for
targeting a new type of criminal for prosecution -- "vigilantes."
In a memo to cops announcing new
"Procedures for Misdemeanor Arrests," the district attorney's office
outlined how to arrest and charge alleged vigilantes for using bats, golf clubs
and hatchets to menace peaceful protesters.
"Bats and golf clubs are criminal
when used to menace/threaten," the D.A.'s office wrote in the memo.
"A baseball bat in a park where the pandemic has banned sports, there's no
ball field, and they're being handed out of garbage bags . . . is not
manifestly appropriate."
This is rich coming from Krasner whose
office has routinely freed armed and dangerous drug dealers, a two-time murderer, and a guy who strangled his girlfriend. Under Krasner, while the
D.A. is now out hunting vigilantes, he's turned a blind eye to protesters who
were arrested after throwing rocks, bottles filled with urine, and tennis balls
filled with cement at the cops.
In the memo, the D.A. tells cops that vigilantes brandishing bats and golf
clubs can be arrested for possession of an instrument of crime. And if they
actually use those weapons to hurt somebody, they can also be charged with
simple assault.
… Speaking of the alleged vigilantism at
Marconi Plaza, the police response while mediating the standoff down there
between protesters and "vigilantes" has resulted in the transfer of
Captain Lou Campione, the commanding officer of the First Police District.
What did Campione do to merit a transfer
that many say is a demotion?
On Twitter, Unicorn Riot, ran a video of the captain telling a Unicorn Riot
"reporter" to take a hike.
"I'm giving you three warnings to
disperse," the captain told the reporter on the video. "It's a
volatile situation."
"I'm here as journalist," the
reporter responded.
"You're inciting a riot," the
captain responds, to which the reporter finally says, after a second warning
from the captain, that he'll leave.
… Cops were upset about the transfer of
Captain Campione.
"The police department is always
talking about community based policing," one cop said. "Well you just
removed the captain who does the most of that out of all the commanders."
"This is 100 percent racial,"
the cop said.
Sekou Kinebrew, a spokesperson for the
department, could not shed any light on the reason for the transfer of Captain
Campione.
"Captain Campione's change in
command was one of several command changes that took place yesterday," he
wrote in an email, but he declined any further comment.
On social media, South Philly residents
were advertising a rally at 4:30 p.m. at Broad and Oregon Avenue on behalf of
the captain.
"We are very, very sad to report
that our beloved police captain, Louis Campione, has been transferred to the
northern-most outpost in the city [Far, Far Northeast]," the post
said. "This is ad pitiful, vindictive move on the part of the mayor and
police commissioner due to one complaint from an Antifa."
"After 42 years of impeccable
service to the residents of this city, this decision is an absolute disgrace
and must be reversed 'effective immediately.' Now!"
The post said that the captain works
80-hour weeks and "Captain Lou is the epitome of 'community
policing,'" the post said. "As you know, Captain Campion never misses
a meeting, phone call, an event, a funeral, a family crisis, an accident or a
community event. We need to show him our full support and demand that the mayor
and police commissioner reverse this retaliatory demotion."
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