Larry Krasner is not one to hold back his opinion, and when asked Monday about what he thought of Will Smith's actions the night before at the Oscars, Krasner weighed in.
Philadelphia's district attorney, who is one of the most prominent progressive law enforcement officials in the country, said he hopes everyone lends "a little bit of grace" to Smith and comedian Chris Rock after their brush up at the Oscars on Sunday night.
Smith, a Philadelphia native who rose to fame decades ago as a young man "West Philadelphia born and raised," smacked Rock on live television after the comedian made a joke during the awards show about Jada Pinkett Smith, Will's wife.
Krasner was asked about his thoughts at his weekly press conference.
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"I imagine that Will Smith and Chris Rock probably woke up this morning and reconsidered their actions of yesterday. I hope they will give each other some grace," Krasner told reporters. "Maybe we should all give them a little bit of grace, because as (social justice activist) Bryan Stevenson has said many times, 'You are not the worst thing you ever did.'"
Stevenson is a public interest lawyer who often represents incarcerated people. He also teaches law at New York City and promotes social justice. The exact quote of Stevenson comes from his book, "Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption."
"Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done," Stevenson wrote.
In addition to his philosophical approach to the Smith-Rock dust up, Krasner called it a "good day" at the Oscars for Philadelphia.
"So it was a good day for Philadelphia at the Oscars," Krasner said. "Will Smith won an Oscar. So did Questlove," Krasner said, noting the Philadelphia musician's win for Best Documentary for his film, "Summer of Soul," about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival."
