For Immediate Release: September 29, 2022
Contact: scott.vogel@seiuhcpa.org
(Philadelphia, PA) – Caregivers and essential healthcare workers joined a major rally today to call on Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives to stop its unprecedented, partisan, political stunt to impeach District Attorney Larry Krasner.
Wendell Royster, Vice-President of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania and the President of AFRAM (African-American Caucus) issued the following statement:
“The divisive effort to remove the city’s duly elected district attorney is an attempt to overturn last fall’s election results and silence the voices of the city’s voters, especially our Black voters and families.
“The House impeachment scheme to remove Larry Krasner as District Attorney is a direct and full-frontal attack on our democracy. No state legislator or elected official should tolerate this unprecedented and blatantly political act.”
“Let’s be clear: Larry Krasner is not accused of abusing his office, of corruption, or any illegal act regarding his official duties. Instead, politicians in Harrisburg are trying to use the real and urgent concerns about public safety and increase in violence to remove an elected official whom the voters chose to represent us and reelected decisively.
“If state lawmakers really cared about public safety and reducing violence they would demand more resources for Philadelphia’s poorest and most underserved neighborhoods and invest in better schools, job opportunities, access to healthcare, drug rehabilitation and human services, and more affordable housing, in addition to stopping gun trafficking and illegal guns. Instead lawmakers are choosing to spend their time not on the urgent priorities and issues that families care deeply about.
“This impeachment drive, without any merit or justification, is destabilizing to our entire political system. It means any elected official in Pennsylvania could be removed from office for almost any reason from a well-funded special interest, corporation, or wealthy donors who disagree with the results of an election or a policy.
“Pennsylvania must not open Pandora’s box and tolerate this blatant attack on our democratic values.
“We demand that every state lawmaker, from both sides of the aisle, stand up and stop this blatant abuse of power and stop this impeachment process.”
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SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania is the state’s largest and fastest-growing union of nurses and healthcare workers, uniting tens of thousands of professional and technical employees, direct care workers, and service employees in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home- and community-based services, and state facilities across the Commonwealth. SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania members are committed to improving the lives of health care workers and ensuring quality care and healthy communities for all Pennsylvanians.