Controversy erupts over police memorial in Philly D.A.’s office

A controversy erupted Friday evening when a photograph was published online of a wall in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office dedicated to fallen city police officers being covered by a portable backdrop, which the police union called disrespectful.

The picture, first published by BigTrial news blog, shows the Wall of Remembrance being covered by what appears to be a type of temporary backdrop that can be seen at news conferences such as those given by District Attorney Larry Krasner.

The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 and Krasner have long been at odds, with the union frequently accusing the district attorney of being anti-police, and this latest dispute comes as several candidates more sympathetic to the police have emerged seeking to replace Krasner.

Mike Neilon, spokesperson for the FOP, tweeted that the covering of the wall was a “disgrace” and that Krasner was “disrespecting our ⁦@PhillyPolice heroes killed in the line of duty. Shameful that these officers are not honored. Take down media props. Another reason he must go.”

Jane Roh, spokesperson for Krasner, responded on Twitter to Neilon that “the emergency of the pandemic has required different spaces in this city to be used for specialized purposes. We are legally required to cover the Wall of Remembrance when this room is used for certain purposes. *We* follow the law.”

She then tweeted links to stories published in The Inquirer about a Philadelphia police officer and a retired detective who were recently arrested and face criminal charges.

It was unclear from the picture when the backdrop had been placed next to the wall and if it was for a very short period of time or has been there for a while. The wall is located on the mezzanine level of the complex and the area is used for news conferences and other activities.

In an email to an Inquirer reporter’s request for a further explanation, Roh said: “I am prohibited by law from telling you exactly what the room is being used for. I will remind you that laws regarding photos in Philly courtrooms apply to the press as well as civilians.”

When asked again to clarify what she meant, she replied: “Read my tweet.”

The wall was dedicated in 2009 when Lynne Abraham was district attorney.

Reached by email, Abraham called Roh’s explanation “utter nonsense” and “Jive talk!”

“I don’t accept any of those statements and you shouldn’t either. If Krasner wants to take the photos down, he should hitch up his big boy pants and remove them instead of having his people make up baloney,” said Abraham, who held the office from 1991 to 2010.

Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw responded to Roh on Twitter: “The discussion at hand was about honoring and respecting officers who made the ultimate sacrifice. A simple ‘it was temporary’ would have sufficed. In the future, considerations should be made to find a space where covering up a memorial to our heroes wouldn’t be necessary.”

FOP President John McNesby was more blunt in his response to Roh on Twitter: “I call Bullshit.”

Roh replied: “What’s bullshit is you have zero to say about the heroic officers who died during the Capitol insurrection and in its aftermath why is that exactly.”

The controversy even caught the attention of Seth Williams, the former Philadelphia district attorney who was convicted of bribery in 2017 and was released from federal prison last year.

“Very sad. There are multiple suitable places for media/backdrops. There is a HUGE difference between implementing needed reforms to the criminal justice system & disrespecting the memory of men & women of every race that gave their lives protecting the people of Philadelphia,” Williams wrote on Twitter.