As the Trump administration send National Guard troops to cities across the U.S., District Attorney Larry Krasner held town hall meetings to organize Philadelphia residents
By: Robert Hsu
In a crowded church, on an unseasonably warm evening for mid-September Philadelphia District, Attorney Larry Krasnar had a call to action to all Philadelphians: “It does not come down to counting on your institutions,” said Krasner. “Not the supreme court, not the president, not the legislature, not big companies. It comes down to you.”
Krasner’s call to action came on September 18th, during the third of three town halls the district attorney’s office organized to discuss the possibility of President Donald Trump deploying the National Guard to Philadelphia.
While President Trump has not specifically stated that he intends to send troops to Philadelphia, the democratically-led city has long been a target, including when he infamously said that Philadelphia was a place where “bad things happen” in a 2020 election debate.
Trump has already deployed the national guard to Los Angeles, Memphis, Washington DC, and Chicago. All of these cities, with the exception of Memphis, are considered “sanctuary cities.” They also all overwhelmingly voted against Trump in all previous elections. Trump has repeatedly said he would use the Insurrection Act to legally justify mobilizing the national guard.
Krasner–who is up for re-election in November–stressed the importance of citizen journalism, urging attendees to use their cellphones to record all police or ICE activity that might be suspicious. Krasner invoked Rodney King and George Floyd as examples in which law enforcement officials were held accountable by citizen journalists.
“If we do have ICE behavior that’s in any way concerning. If we do have National Guard behavior, military behavior, any other law enforcement behavior that is in any way concerning, even if we don’t know it’s illegal, even if we don’t know how far it’s going to go, we record it.” Krasner said.
While Trump has yet to deploy the National Guard in Philadelphia, ICE has ramped up its presence significantly in Philadelphia since Trump entered office. An investigation from the Philadelphia Inquirer found that as of June 2025, deportations within the Philadelphia area had increased by 80% since Trump took office.
Betsy Piette, a local journalist and activist, attended the meeting to show support amid rumors of a counter protest being held by right wing activists which stand in direct opposition to Krasner.
While the counter protesters did not make a significant appearance at the townhall, the attendees who came to show solidarity filled out seats and listened intently to Krasner. Piette stressed how she did not support Krasner on every issue but how it was important for community members to organize against the impending threat of federal troops in US cities.
“Will I vote for him? I don’t know.” Piette said. “I think it’s important that people start coming together, and realizing that we are faced with threats with troops in US Cities. And most of those cities where those troops have gone are Black and brown majority cities. So that should tell you something about why they’re there.”
After Krasner’s opening remarks, the town hall shifted to a panel of community organizers, many of whom were affiliated with religious organizations. The panelists spoke about the challenges that their communities face, and the ways that they are organizing to resist what they described as a modern revival of facism in American politics.
Rev. Andrea Harrington, associate minister at Whosoever Metropolitan Community Church of Philadelphia, was one of the panelists invited to speak and answer questions. As a Black transgender woman, Harrington spoke passionately about what it means to be a member of multiple communities under attack by the Trump administration. She drew applause from the mostly white audience as she called on them to focus on allyship and inclusivity.
“Whatever circle you are in, show up. And take the positive message to those who need it.” Harrington said. “Stand forward, stand in your place, stand ten toes down and share the message to everyone whose around you.”
Krasner ended the evening by urging the remaining attendees to turn on their phone flashlights and raise them in the air in a symbolic gesture of solidarity.
“We are the light, we bring the light.” Krasner said.
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