Tempers flare at a town hall on possible National Guard deployment
Tempers flare at Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner’s town hall on possible Trump National Guard deployment to city
President Trump signed a memo Monday sending the National Guard to Memphis, and Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner expressed that the city needs to be ready if the same happens here.
At a town hall Tuesday night at Salt and Light Church in Southwest Philadelphia, Krasner urged residents to prepare for the possibility of troops in the city.
“We need you to lead an effort to resist an effort to overthrow the government of the United States,” Krasner told the crowd.
He encouraged people to document any potential Guard activity with their phones, posting it to social media or even alert those who in the area who may be affected.
“There are some people who like to erase history,” he said. “We want to record it.”
Legal expert Kate Shaw noted the Posse Comitatus Act bars the military from enforcing local law without a governor’s approval. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has already publicly declined the notion. The only exception would be the president invoking the Insurrection Act, typically reserved for emergencies.
Krasner dismissed that justification, saying, “The real emergency is Donald Trump.”
Not everyone in attendance agreed.
Frank Scales, 22, of South Philadelphia. Scales argued crime still feels like a crisis despite falling homicide numbers. “Let the National Guard back up our cops,” Scales advocated.
City data shows homicides have dropped 16.6% compared with this time last year, and are down nearly 60% since 2022. But Scales believes those numbers don’t mean much.
“I think we are in an emergency when we have regular people getting gunned down,” he said.
Others pushed back. Danielle Shaw, whose daughter was shot and killed in Philadelphia, said she doesn’t want the National Guard in her community.
“They’re trained for combat,” Shaw said. “We need our police department that is trained on de-escalation, that is trained to protect the community.”
Tension rose at the town hall meeting once Krasner voiced his opinion, criticizing Republicans in Harrisburg.
“Will the Pennsylvania legislature and its MAGA members be stupid? Because the answer is yeah,” he said. “Because fascists are gonna be fascists. … These are people who agree with Adolf Hitler.”
Scales shouted back, accusing Krasner of demonizing Republicans. Tempers flared as the dispute spilled over outside before cooler heads prevailed.
Shaw, reflecting on the exchange, urged dialogue despite divisions.
“We don’t have to agree on everything,” she said. “But we have to come to the table for some type of compromise.”
Krasner will hold two more town halls this week — Wednesday in West Oak Lane and Thursday in Society Hill.
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CBS News Philadelphia contributed to information in this article
Tempers flare at Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner’s town hall on possible Trump National Guard deployment to city was originally published on rnbphilly.com
