Coronavirus Philadelphia: City Leaders Hold Virtual Town Hall Demanding Release Of Some Prisoners Due To Pandemic
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia leaders came together, virtually, to demand some people be released from jails in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The leaders that took part in a virtual town hall on Saturday included inter-faith clergy, City council members, District Attorney Larry Krasner and the city's Public Defender Keir Bradford Grey.
The group says they want people who are incarcerated and those who work in jails to be released so they don't get sick or die from COVID-19.
Their meeting comes on the 52nd anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"I don't think we have a whole lot of time for talk, it is really time for action because the longer we sit here and talk about the problem, it gets worse and worse and worse," Rev. Dr. Damone B. Jones, Sr.
Pennsylvania's Supreme Court on Friday said if jails cannot comply with recommended hygiene and social distancing guidelines, courts should consider releasing low-risk detainees.
