Philebrity has a funny post about the YPP fundraiser for Seth tomorrow. And it inspired me to share some back-story on this blog's relationship to Seth Williams. First here's what Philebrity had to say:

YPP is throwing [a dance party] for Williams at the Khyber, and the more we dig around on Williams, the more we feel like, what do they know that we don’t? To be fair, we’re sure it’s a lot.

Yes Joey, we do know more than you (including the little known fact that Seth is actually a lost Debarge brother). Here's the deal: Way back in December of 2004, two months into YPP's existence, Dan and I did not know each other. But we both read a great Kia Grgory article about Seth in PW and were intrigued.

Fresh off my first stint working for MoveOn.org, I emailed Seth and offered to help write his emails and organize votes online. And Dan started blogging about him. A lot. I'd already read YPP by that point and written some, but Seth's campaign is what really brought us together: The campaign helped grow this blog into the community it is today.

You can actually just read any one of many 2005 posts, but in a nutshell here's why we supported Seth in the first place:

• Seth believes in community-based prosecution. More or less the way it works now is that felony preliminary hearings and misdemeanor trials are handled in localized courtrooms located in police districts. The Assistant DAs who work these districts rotate all the time. So repeat offenders end up getting prosecuted by multiple ADAs and there is no continuity. And repeat offenders commit the vast majority of crimes. That means the root causes of problem--lack of wages, addiction, mental illness whatever--get obfuscated. Community-based prosecution change that. It would keep ADAs in the same courtroom with the same local police and in the same the neighborhood. This'd give DAs a chance to get a sense of the bigger picture, track trends and identify the real needs of repeat offenders.
   
• Seth believes in sentencing and charging reform. More often than not, Assistant DAs are directed to throw as many charges at arrestees as possible and to seek the most punitive sentence available for them. Coupled with a lack of neighborhood continuity, DAs end up throwing the book at offenders who maybe need a less punitive punishment to help them straighten out. There are lots of folks who'd have a better shot of changing their ways if they could get a GED, sober up or go to some counseling sessions rather than jail.
   
• Seth wants to use the DA's office to tackle big problems. Seth thinks the DA's office can be doing a lot more to end political corruption and tough problems like the sale of illegal handguns. DA Lynne Abraham has created special units in her office to tackle specific crimes. But she has focuses on things like car insurance fraud rather than handgun control. And Lynne--despite many opportunities to get involved in prosecuting city corruption--has always stayed away. Seth would change that.
   
• Seth is one of us. Seth is a young, Philadelphia progressive. He is not a part of any political legacy, yet for the most part he has managed to stay friendly with almost every Philadelphia Democratic party camp. He eschews factionalism. He is the future of Philadelphia progressive politics.

So that's what we liked about Seth in 2005. And it's what we like about him in 2009.

That said, the race is different. It's not Seth vs. an incumbent. With Lynne Abraham's pending retirement, there is an open field this year. And I don't know a ton yet about the other candidates, but I am hard pressed to imagine that any of them know so much already about the DA's office and have thought so carefully about the kinds of reform they could enact if elected to lead it. Whereas Seth has. And he has an amazing vision not just for the DA's office but for the city that it serves.

And Seth is just a really fun and cool guy.

But it's not cheap running against the machine in Philadelphia and Seth can use your help. Yes, Seth came closer to beating Lynne Abraham in 2005 than any other challenger ever had (without the support of ANY Philadelphia elected official except Councilman Goode). And yes he does have a tremendous amount of support now from local electeds. And he was endorsed by the Inky in 05. BUT. Seth still has his work cut out for him.

So...that's why you should shell out the $20 it takes to get into our fundraiser happy hour tomorrow night. Seth needs you. The city needs you. Plus Dan is a lot nicer when he is drunk. Donate online now and RSVP here.