Statement: Charges Against Eddie Irizarry’s Murderer Dismissed
The Young Communist League of Philadelphia and Philadelphia Club of the Communist Party USA are outraged by the dismissal of the chargers against the killer of Eddie Irizarry, former officer Mark Dial. The body cam footage made it undeniable that this was a senseless, unjust and brutal murder. However the message being sent to Philly PD by Judge Wendy Pew is that murder is permissible so long as your victim is Black, brown and working class.
Undue harassment and violence towards black and brown workers continues to go unchecked in Philadelphia. In addition to this murder, police incompetence led to multiple losses of life in West Philadelphia during the July 3rd mass shooting. This summer, the Landlord Tenant Office made headlines after a series of shootings occurred during evictions their mercenaries attended. It should surprise no one that the public learned of serious issues of nepotism and conflicts of interests involving the Municipal Court and LTO during the public hearings regarding these incidents. What is being made loud and clear to Philadelphians is that officers will use violence against the citizens of this city, particularly those most vulnerable among us, if these institutions are not held accountable to the community.
We are hopeful that District Attorney Larry Krasner’s appeal will be successful and this miscarriage of justice is corrected. However, more is needed to ensure that no Philadelphian is the victim of senseless police and landlord sanctioned violence ever again. We need robust community control of the police legislation, such as the The Empowering Communities for Public Safety Act passed in Chicago, to put the power of accountability back into the hands of Black and brown communities. The working class of Philadelphia deserve to be free from the threat of police violence at all times be it their homes, vehicles, and neighborhoods. We remain adamant in our demand for justice and our solidarity with Eddie’s family and loved ones at this time.