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20 FEBRUARY 4, 2021
JEWISH EXPONENT
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



L IFESTYLE /C ULTURE
‘Philly D.A.’ Asks Unanswerable Questions
T E L EVISION
JESSE BERNSTEIN | JE STAFF
THERE IS A SEQUENCE
toward the end of the second
episode of “Philly D.A.” that is
genuinely sublime.

In minutes, fi lmmakers Ted
Passon, Nicole Salazar and Yoni
Brook make the case for their
entire project, an eight-part
docuseries on the election of
Larry Krasner and subsequent
changes made to the Philadelphia
District Attorney’s Offi ce.

Th e state is about to lose
a homicide case aft er it’s
revealed that the key evidence
that would have identifi ed the
perpetrator cannot be used in
court; two detectives searched
the primary suspect’s phone
without a warrant, on camera,
and then lied about it.

In a 10-minute sequence, the
fi lmmakers introduce you to the
family members of victim Tafari
Lawrence, alternating between
interviews and head-on shots of
their sullen, slumping faces.

Lawrence’s mother, Dionne
Galloway, does the best she
can to prepare her children
for what she already fears will
come next — that the man who
killed their brother will likely
escape responsibility because
of the state’s carelessness — but
even she is only human.

On the sidewalk outside
of the Juanita Kidd Stout
Center for Criminal Justice,
aft er the terrible inevitability
has been spoken, she pulls
herself together to ask Krasner
questions that can only techni-
cally be answered. He can use
words to apologize, to tell her
that the responsible detec-
tives have been pulled from
the homicide division, but her
primary question — “Why?” —
can’t be answered so simply.

Th e questions that animate
that sequence are the same that
Krasner asks himself in “Philly
D.A.,” and the same that the
fi lmmakers ask of us.

Why does the power of the
state have to be used in this
way, such that it grinds down
and impoverishes the people
with the fewest resources to
defend themselves? How can it
be changed? And who should
change it? What is criminal law
meant to do, and for whom?
What should the role of police
be, and is a man who made a
career out of suing them the
person to work that out?
It’s not immediately clear
that these are the questions
being asked, because the fi rst 15
minutes of the initial episode
veer toward Krasner hagiog-
raphy — the tells-it-like-it-is
defense attorney fi ghts the
staid establishment to become
district attorney. Th e quintes-
sential Krasner footage is all
there, including his singing Th e
Clash’s “Clampdown” onstage
with the band Sheer Mag at First
Unitarian Church. Opponents
tell Krasner that his ideas are
a dangerous experiment, and
he counters that the status quo
is the dangerous experiment.

Krasner holds rallies, debates,
shakes hands and then wins.

It’s intoxicating, it’s fun and it’s
basically an advertisement.

But when “Philly D.A.”
shift s the focus ever so slightly
to “Philly District Attorney’s
Offi ce,” it becomes a much more
interesting viewing experience
— and not just because the
tense, wonderfully varied score
from musician Dan Deacon
shows up more frequently.

Fighting the establishment
by taking it over isn’t just a
slogan, but a complicated,
excruciating process. Career
prosecutors deemed unfi t for
the new administration’s vision
lose their jobs in a manner that
seems designed for maximum
embarrassment. Th ose who
are left behind only have a
moment to breathe, as their
new colleagues and superiors
were elected on the promise
to radically change their
Larry Krasner and his offi ce’s policies provide fodder for tense debate in
the upcoming series “Philly D.A.”
Photo by Yoni Brook
functions. Th e Fraternal Order
of Police, a powerful union in
city politics, declares all-out
war on the new administration.

Th e offi ce holdovers make
the most compelling critics
of Krasner, and it’s no coinci-
dence that the battles fought
over juvenile detention and
police misconduct transparency
are among the most dramatic
portions of the fi rst two episodes.

It’s easy to get an audience to
instinctively side with Krasner
when the opposing voice is FOP
President John McNesby; it’s
harder, and more worthwhile,
to see him and his allies have to
argue their philosophy with the
people at the next cubicle over.

Th e fi lmmakers also include
the voices of voters, police
officers, journalists, crime
victims, community activists
and local news anchors.

The implementation of
Krasner’s vision and that of key
allies Bob Listenbee, Patricia
Cummings and Dana Bazelon is
the propulsive force of the series.

But the context of Philadelphia’s
troubled history and the residents
who live in its wake are what
that vision is responding to, and
the fi lmmakers provide helpful
accounts of the MOVE bombing
and the career of Frank Rizzo for
viewers who may be unfamiliar.

Th ough there is certainly
much more to the Krasner
story, reviewers were provided
with just two of the eight-ep-
isode series, which debuts on
PBS on April 20. I can’t wait to
see the rest. ●
jbernstein@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0740
New Fran Lebowitz Series Elevates Art of Complaining
T E L EVISON
SOPHIE PANZER | JE STAFF
FRAN LEBOWITZ KNOWS
why she’s angry.

“Th e anger is, I have no
power, but I’m fi lled with
opinions,” the writer, humorist
and social critic laments in
director Martin Scorsese’s
“Pretend It’s a City.” Th e Netfl ix
series, which was fi lmed before
the pandemic and consists of
several free-fl owing conversa-
tions between Lebowitz and
Scorsese on various topics,
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM is an ode to a bygone era, a
changing New York and
Lebowitz herself.

Lebowitz opines to Scorsese,
an old friend, about art, culture,
sports, her upbringing, the
#MeToo movement, technology
and her friendships with
artists. Most of the discussions
also somehow involve moving
to New York, living in New
York, being annoyed by New
York and why she will never
leave New York.

She skewers social media
use, travel and the subway, but
reserves her most withering
scorn for “wellness,” a trend she
believes must have originated
in California that convinces
people to take part in physical
activities usually reserved for
prisoners of war. Th ere is a shot
of her gawking in horror at
young women wearing fi tness
gear and hauling tires down
the sidewalk that pairs beauti-
fully with these remarks.

People who know and love
Lebowitz will fi nd this series
comfortingly on-brand. Th ose
who are not familiar with
See Lebowitz, Page 22
JEWISH EXPONENT
Fran Lebowitz in “Pretend It’s a City”
Courtesy of Netfl ix
FEBRUARY 4, 2021
21