After fighting corruption and crime at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Joe Khan left behind his position to run for district attorney. Khan began his career as a prosecutor in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, where he specialized in cases related to sexual assault, child abuse and domestic violence.
PGN: There have already been nine transgender women of color murdered across the nation this year. If elected, what will your office do to combat violence against transgender individuals in Philadelphia, specifically women of color?
JK: People from the LGBT community in general, particularly transgender individuals, are disproportionately represented as victims in those cases. For all of the cases that I prosecuted in court, there were countless cases that never made it to my desk because those victims never came forward. I will do everything in my power to make it clear that the District Attorney’s Office will be a champion for all victims and to make it clear that no one should suffer in silence. We are going to be a voice for the voiceless.
PGN: If elected, will you assist PGN in our ongoing efforts to settle all open-records litigation for access to Nizah Morris records?
JK: As a general matter, I am completely committed to making sure the D.A.’s Office is more transparent and is not afraid to look back on decisions and revisit them. In the Morris case, there is absolutely no dispute. The way in which that case was handled was a travesty on every level. In any case where there are questions raised about how evidence was kept and how individuals — particularly people in law enforcement — conducted themselves, I will not turn a blind eye to that conduct. I am going to make it clear to everyone in my office that the culture of the office is going to be about seeking justice and making sure that we do things the right way. To the extent that the D.A.’s Office has failed to be transparent in many cases, including this one, I am committed to making sure the office is letting people know what it’s doing.
PGN: How would you approach racial disparities in both the charging and sentencing processes?
JK: There is a number of ways that we’ll do this. [We will] look at policing processes and making sure we are fearless in asking questions that may make people uncomfortable about whether or not the policies that are being pursued have a disparate impact on communities of color. [Second], we have to make sure the people we’re hiring reflect the rich diversity in all forms in the city. That is something we achieve through hiring. If we don’t see the resumes coming in, then we have to be proactive in recruiting attorneys and staff members across identity groups throughout Philadelphia to make sure we achieve that.
PGN: What is your position on the current immigration crackdown being led by the Trump administration? What role does the D.A.’s Office play in this process?
JK: When I stepped out and took a pledge to defend Philadelphia’s status as a sanctuary city, I took that pledge not just as a son of a Muslim immigrant but also as a career prosecutor. As district attorney, I will fight with every fiber of my being. I will not cooperate in any way with Donald Trump’s racist, bigoted, hateful immigration agenda. I will not share files with his administration in terms of him trying to pursue his deportation agenda, which strikes me as cruel and unfair. I will not do the bidding or in any way set up the Philadelphia police to do the bidding of Donald Trump’s deportation force. I will be a strong champion of victims in all of Philadelphia.
PGN: In light of the bribery charges facing our current District Attorney, what would you do to root out corruption within the office?
JK: Clearly, one of the many problems we saw with the current D.A. was his deals for receiving gifts, particularly from people who wanted something from the D.A.’s Office. That is completely unacceptable. [Also], the current district attorney has done almost nothing to deal with the issue of police corruption. My background as a corruption fighter — someone who has taken on corrupt politicians, CEOs and police officers who have crossed the line — makes me uniquely qualified to make sure that we have a robust program for dealing with corruption. I am the only candidate who has called for independent review of police-misconduct cases so we are being aggressive about prosecuting corruption.
PGN: Some organizations have called for the release of data on the number of people of color convicted in Philadelphia each year. Is this something you would support?
JK: To the extent that that information is being tracked, I am in favor of being as transparent as possible. We need to be fearless about sharing the truth.
PGN: What is your position on cash bail?
JK: I’ve called for the abolishment of our current broken cash-bail system. No one should sit in a prison cell because they can’t afford to make bail and unfortunately in Philadelphia, so many people do.
PGN: What is your position on the death penalty?
JK: It’s amoral to use the death penalty as a bargaining chip for a better plea deal and I also think it’s unconscionable to use the death penalty as a way to strike people from the jury because they would not impose the death penalty.
PGN: Do you think that police violence, specifically against communities of color, is an issue in Philadelphia? If so, what would you do to combat it?
JK: I have been so passionate about calling for a District Attorney’s Office not being so cozy with the police or our partners in building great cases that we’re looking the other way or failing to root this out. The fact that a person has a badge or wears a uniform will not protect them from prosecution when I’m district attorney.
PGN: The D.A.’s Office has not had an LGBT liaison since the beginning of 2015. Is this a position you would resurrect?
JK: The fact that you just pointed out is a disgrace. I will guarantee when I’m district attorney, there will be a wealth of talented, dynamic, dedicated and passionate attorneys who happen to be members of the LGBT community and I will recruit one of them to be a liaison to that community. Outreach to all communities, particularly the LGBT community, needs to be a top priority for the district attorney.
PGN: Do you support the statewide LGBT nondiscrimination bill? If yes, what would you do to advance it?
JK: I am fully committed. We need to embrace all reforms and this is especially true in the age of Donald Trump. It’s more important now than ever for solutions to be happening at the local and statewide level. I fully embrace any and all efforts that we can make to provide more protection to members of the community who need it now more than ever.
PGN: Do you support the statewide hate-crimes bill? If yes, what would you do to advance this measure?
JK: As a district attorney, [I hope to] persuade others in the [Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association] to support this. We need to be as expansive as we can to use these laws to protect our constituents. By having buy-in from the PDAA, that is the best chance to help get Republicans on board, which is what we are going to need to do to get that bill passed. I will use the full weight of my office to support those measures.
PGN: Until an LGBT-inclusive hate-crimes law is adopted, what do you think can be done to better track and report hate crimes motivated by a victim’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity?
JK: One of the things that I want to do regardless of what the statute says is to make sure that because of that additional emotional trauma that victims suffer by being victims of hate crimes, that we select those cases to receive extra attention. We are seeing, anecdotally, a rise in hate crimes across the country, and by pointing out that hate crimes are on the rise in Philadelphia, that’s our best way to get the information out there and lead the way for change.
PGN: Why should the LGBT community vote for you?
JK: I’m going to be the progressive prosecutor that Philadelphia needs in the D.A.’s Office. I have a bold, broad vision for the city. I have deeply held progressive values and I have the prosecutorial experience to take on the tough fights to implement my values and vision. Right now, we have a D.A. who is more focused on scoring easy wins than doing the right thing. That’s going to end on my watch. I’m going to bring generational change to our city and our party and I am going to pave the way for other progressive reformers who are not afraid of tough fights. I have spent my entire life and career embracing the most vulnerable among us. I have been an advocate for marginalized communities. I have been and will continue to be as strong of an ally as I can to the LGBT community. I will not rest until we have a D.A.’s Office that reflects, represents and champions people from every community in the city, especially my brothers and sisters in the LGBT community.
For more information about Joe Khan, visit joeforphilly.com.