PHILADELPHIA COUNTY, Pa. — The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday, joined by an interdenominational group of faith leaders, forcefully denounced what DA Larry Krasner called President Trump’s “cynical ploy” to justify deploying National Guard troops to Democratic-led cities by falsely claiming violent crime is surging — even as crime rates continue to fall.
Krasner maintained that “violent crime in Philly is at a record low. This is a fact,” citing Philadelphia Police Department data, and added that the same decline applies to Washington, D.C., and other cities Trump targets for “military invasion.” He called the president the only true public safety emergency, dismissing claims of rising violence as “a flat-out lie” and “an authoritarian ambition” meant to scare Americans into submission.
Communities across Philadelphia, working with law enforcement and city leaders, continue to push crime lower every day, Krasner said, asserting that the city “will not accommodate his designs. Philadelphia ‘isn’t the one,’” and naming Trump — the “34-time convicted felon, insurrectionist, and king of the cover-up” — as the real national emergency.
Imam Kenneth Nuriddin, a Vietnam War veteran and resident imam at Philadelphia Masjid, called it the faith community’s duty to sound the alarm. He spoke of the city’s diversity and the unifying force of America’s constitutional protections, saying justice must guide decisions — and when actions threaten inalienable rights, it is “our duty to stand up.”
Rev. Carolyn Cavaness, senior pastor at Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, referenced the tradition of Richard Allen, a founding father, saying, “We come from a tradition which teaches us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. … We will trample over oppressors who desire to take over our rights. … This type of oppression will not be allowed here.”
The denouncement follows Trump’s announcement that he would place the Washington, D.C., police department under federal control and deploy hundreds of National Guard troops to cities such as Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Oakland — threatening a “test” for broader “tremendous success.” Krasner warned that sending federal troops to Philadelphia during this historic drop in crime would only sow chaos.
Philly crime statistics reinforce his message. As of Aug. 11, homicides are down about 17.4% compared to last year, while total violent crime is down nearly 7.7% and property crime by around 7.2%. The city could see its lowest homicide totals since the early 2010s if the trend continues.
Legal experts also say there is no basis for Trump to impose such federal authority over Philadelphia. Unlike D.C., where the Home Rule Act grants limited federal control, Pennsylvania’s National Guard is under Gov. Josh Shapiro’s command — and any attempt to bypass that authority would raise constitutional concerns under the Tenth Amendment, the Insurrection Act and possibly the Posse Comitatus Act.
