[Submission from Unity Division received on 02.05.19, published on 02.11.19 because we don’t check our email.]

Burner Cell Phone For District Attorney

Hello. My Name Is Burner and I am running for the District Attorney of Allegheny County. I am a disposable cell phone who has spent all of the past two years of my existence living in the city of Pittsburgh knowing that at any moment, I could be charged with a crime I did not commit: I could be used as evidence to prosecute low-income youth and people of color, either myself or someone I love could be destroyed or searched by a police officer without probable cause. Right now these are all possibilities under the current District Attorney Stephen Zappala, and that is why I am running for District Attorney of Allegheny County.

If elected I will not prosecute one drug possession case, no matter the weight. The war on drugs must be abolished.

If elected I will also prosecute to the fullest extent of the law any police officer accused of committing a violent act toward an unarmed person. It will not take public demonstration and the blocking of highways to convince me to seek justice for the least fortunate, I will do it on my own accord.

If elected I will prosecute any political official involved in political bribery, misconduct, or abuse of power. Furthermore, Allegheny County officials responsible for the crimes committed against inmates at the Allegheny County Jail will be held accountable.

Any person alleged to commit acts of animal cruelty, such as researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, will be prosecuted for their crimes against the dignity of animals.

While I intend to hold accountable any criminal that I come accross, my administration will adhere to the principles of restorative justice in order to help undue the harm done to our most vulnerable populations by mass incarceration.

People accused of violent crimes who suffer from mental illnesses will be treated with mercy and given treatment over punishment and brutality. All individuals accused of crimes will be given actual due process under the law. This means adequate council and appropriate criminal charges for the crime alleged. If these conditions are not met, the District Attorney will not take the case.

Victims of domestic abuse and other crimes will be shielded from harm by their abusers. The District Attorneys office will prioritize protecting human and animal life over case clearance and political reputation.

In closing, I will dedicate my administration to abolishing prisons as we know it and replacing them with educational and rehabilitative institutions whose goals are not to punish but to make whole the broken people who have been spit out by this system. Justice should not be about the brutalization of people who do the wrong thing, it should be about protecting the righteous from the unjust and making our community a better place.

My name is Burner, and I pledge to make Allegheny County a safe community.

WILL YOU ANSWER THE CALL?

VOTE BURNER