Carlos Vega said he is running for district attorney to change the direction of the office.
“This city deserves a district attorney who is a voice for the victims,” he said.
Vega, of South Philadelphia, announced his candidacy on Dec. 16 outside the DA’s office, across from City Hall. Supporters wore “Vega for DA” masks and chanted, “Vega.”
Vega will challenge District Attorney Larry Krasner in the Democratic primary.
“He never talks about the victim,” Vega said of Krasner.
Brandon Evans, Krasner’s campaign manager, took issue with that statement.
“As to allegations that Larry doesn’t support or talk about victims, they are easily refuted by looking at the robust program he implemented that provides trauma support from the moment a homicide reaches the office, and the other victims services the office started providing since taking office. We will not make comments on specific cases or people’s individual pain.”
Vega worked for the DA’s office for 35 years, including 30 years in the homicide unit.
Over the years, he handled 450 homicide prosecutions, including those of the Kensington Strangler and the Black Madam.
That might seem like a lot, he said, until comparing it to Philadelphia’s homicide rate.
At the start of the news conference, there was a moment of silence for the city’s 471 murder victims this year (as off 11 a.m. on Dec. 16).
“It took me 30 years to (prosecute) 450 murders,” Vega said.
As of Dec. 21, there had been 478 murders, a 39-percent increase over the same time last year.
“I’m praying and hoping it won’t be 500,” Vega said.
After Krasner assumed office in 2018, he fired Vega and three dozen other prosecutors and staffers. Vega, 64, has filed an age discrimination lawsuit.
At the news conference, Vega received support from Aleida Garcia, founder of the National Homicide Justice Alliance. Her 34-year-old son Alex was shot and killed in 2015 in Feltonville. Vega was the original prosecutor in the case.
“Carlos Vega is a man of integrity and courage,” Garcia said.
Vega is especially saddened by the murder of children, saying many neighborhoods are not safe for them to play outside or walk to the store.
The challenger described the incumbent as “bought and paid for by the rich elite.” In 2017, Krasner received about $1.7 million from a political action committee funded by left-wing billionaire George Soros.
Evans, Krasner’s campaign manager, said in a statement, “As to the thinly-veiled references to George Soros, Mr. Vega is already engaging in the same tropes you see from Fox News and the FOP. It is unfortunate, but not surprising. Larry was elected by a grassroots movement, but Mr. Vega would like to discount the thousands of people who actually cast votes in that election.”
Vega said the city will continue to crumble unless a change is made in the DA’s office.
“This race is special,” he said.
Vega said Krasner hopes more candidates enter the primary to split the anti-incumbent vote.
“We need one voice, one person,” the challenger said.
Vega said it’s unfair to store owners that retail thefts of under $500 are prosecuted as mere summary offenses. Many of these store owners see multiple thefts of $5 and $10 items, hurting the bottom line, according to Vega.
Vega said he would prosecute looters and rioters.
“That’s a crime,” he said, adding that their actions hurt a community’s quality of life.
The Krasner campaign seems eager for the campaign to begin.
“The voters in Philadelphia have a choice: they can go back to the time where we locked people up no matter the cost, failed to hold the powerful accountable, and locked up the innocent. Or we can continue moving forward, implementing ways to build people up, to focus on the serious crimes where people have caused real harm, and to make sure those police who abuse the public trust are held accountable — so that the public trusts us,” Evans said. “We feel confident that the voters will make the latter choice and re-elect D.A. Krasner. The voters have already rejected the policies espoused by Vega, and they will again.” ••
