Young Conservative Philly Activist Objects to Krasner Calling MAGA Fascist at Town Hall
“Fascists are going to be fascists. What can I say?" the DA said at a town hall last night.
Frank Scales has criticized Larry Krasner in the past. / Image via NBC10
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Young Conservative Activist From Philly Objects to Krasner Calling MAGA Fascist, Cites Death of Charlie Kirk
Last night, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner spoke at a town hall meeting at a church in Kingsessing, one of several appearances he’s scheduled to make this week. The topic, in part, is the Trump administration’s repeated threats to send National Guard troops to major American cities. Trump has not yet inserted Philadelphia into this conversation, but Krasner and others think it’s only a matter of time.
At least three local TV news stations — NBC10, 6ABC and CBS3 — included prominently in their coverage of the event a dissenting opinion made by recent Roman Catholic grad and conservative activist Frank Scales, who stood up to interrupt the DA.
NBC10 describes the scene like this.
“Fascists are going to be fascists. What can I say? The effort to impeach me, not the most important topic but it was simply an early sign that there is an ongoing effort to erase the votes of Philadelphia. We know who’s votes they are,” Krasner said Tuesday, referring to the ‘Pennsylvania Legislature and its MAGA members’, “The fundamental premise of the United States is supposed that all people are created equal. It’s a deep belief in equality, these people don’t believe in equality at all. They don’t believe in equality of folks. They don’t in gender equality. They’re absolutely just as hateful towards women as they are on the issue of race. These are people who agree with Adolf Hitler.”
It was at this moment, Frank Scales of South Philly spoke up.
“Lie!” Scales shouted. “People like you are responsible for the death of Charlie Kirk. Stop calling them fascists.”
Scales went on to argue that “lawless Larry, crumb bum Krasner” was only speaking about the National Guard situation in order to “distract the people of this city from his failures.” In none of the footage and reporting I’ve come across did he publicly identify himself as a member of MAGA, or quarrel with Krasner’s assertion that the MAGA movement does not believe in race and gender equality.
Scales later told reporters he hadn’t planned to speak out at the town hall, but showed up wanting to see what the DA had to say. Nonetheless, Scales has been critical of Krasner before on social media, though he is not at this moment a well-known figure in Philly politics. He posted this video the day before town hall:
Krasner, meanwhile, stuck to his guns on the “fascism” descriptor following the town hall, citing his family’s personal experience fighting Nazis in World War II.
Street Cooling Requires a Double Down, Upon Further Reflection
The city is currently applying additional coats of a CoolSeal, a material designed to lower surface temperatures, to streets in the Hunting Park neighborhood. The idea is that the white “asphalt mixture” will reflect the heat away, preventing city streets from absorbing it.
The premise has scientific merit, and people living in tropical climates have lived under white roofs for precisely this reason. That said, one researcher found that the CoolSeal actually made L.A. residents feel hotter in 2019.
Philly’s CoolSeal pilot program started last summer, and crews found that “within months, the coating had worn off in places and cracked,” according to WHYY.
This new application is a double coat, which is expected to work better. Plus, you know, it’s almost fall.
By the Numbers
50 years: The Inky has a heartwarming story about Philadelphia Phil and Philadelphia Phillis, the Phillies’ first mascots from the dawn of the Veterans Stadium era, and the two people who portrayed them and remain friends to this day.
I-80 W: Where a truck carrying M&Ms got into an accident in North Jersey and spilled candy everywhere. So far the photos are not as fun as one would like — because most of the M&M’s stayed in their bags and boxes — but we will continue to monitor the situation.
8:45 a.m.: Time a man was stabbed with a samurai sword while attempting to burglarize a home in Norristown with a fake gun.
Local Talent
It’s a busy night in Philadelphia. You could watch Theatre Contra do a live reading of The Parent Trap at Tattooed Mom, hear longtime city councilwoman/author Blondell Reynolds-Brown discuss her new memoir at the Free Library, or see Philly author Stephanie Feldman (Saturnalia) interview South Carolina author Julia Elliott (Hellions, The New and Improved Romie Futch) at Kelly Writers House. See more things to do in Philly this week here.
