Poetic petition to Larry Krasner

dear Larry Krasner,
we heard
you sued Elon Musk
over his corrupt million election
giveaways –
you lost
but you were on the right side
of History
 
we heard
you founded the Conviction Integrity Unit
on the model
of Archbishop Tutu’s milestone Truth and Justice Commission –
the same Bishop
who after visiting Mumia Abu-Jamal in prison
called for his immediate release
 
dear Larry Krasner
on the eve of your first election
to Philly DA
you declared Mumia Abu-Jamal’s case
epitomized all that had been corrupt
in the criminal justice system
in the city of brotherly love –
again you were historically right
 
yet over and over again
appeal upon appeal
you sent him back
to death by incarceration
in spite of exculpatory evidence
of his innocence
including the corruption
of a star prosecution witness –
uncovered after thirty six years
 
Dear Larry Krasner,
in an open letter to you
i invited you to visit
Mumia
in his prison
to shake the hand
and get to know
the man you have sentenced
and
who is revered
as one of the greatest historians
and educators
in the USA –
the invitation is still open
and
it is not too late
to be on the right side of History
yet again
 
after all
the Human Rights Committee
of the United Nations
who regularly monitors his case
alongside others
has written a letter to the U.S. government
asking that death by incarceration
as torture
be placed under moratorium*
 
after all
far away
in Burkina Faso,
young President Ibrahim Traore
took off his military uniform
and,
dressed in rags,
faked a burglary
to get himself arrested
and confined
to Kotoka Prison Fortress
to experience incognito
what prisoners
lived through day to day –
the notes he took
inspired a structural reimagining
of carceral rehabilitation
for which he will always be remembered
by his people
 
we ask of you
no disguise
no arranged arrest
merely the courage
to step into the other world
you ordained
for our Mumia – a human being
like you

(c) Julia Wright. April 25, 2025. All Rights Reserved.