Iryna Zarutska mural censored by leftists, mayor calls it ‘divisive’ 

You probably remember Iryna Zarutska, the young woman who was brutally stabbed to death on a train in Charlotte, N.C. Her murder at the hands of DeCarlos Brown, a psychotic ex-felon with 14 prior arrests, was captured on surveillance video, and engendered widespread feeling of sympathy, horror, and ultimately disgust that such a thing could happen — that society is not doing more to keep dangerous lunatics off our public transportation system. 

But apparently not everyone thinks it’s worth remembering Zarutska. In fact, a mural of her face — her beautiful, innocent face — is being taken down in Providence, R.I., because woke leftists think it’s offensive for some reason. 

Don’t believe me? Wach this. 

That was David Morales, a Democratic state rep., agreeing with Mayor Brett Smiley, also a Democrat, that the mural should be taken down. Here’s more from the local news. 

I’m confused, and I’m not the only one. The mural is coming down because it doesn’t reflect the city’s values, the Democratic politicians say. Well, as Republican Chip Roy asks, “what value does the mural not reflect?”  

That this woman deserved to live and that her murder is a terrible tragedy that ought to have been prevented? That there’s a dark and disturbing irony in the fact that Zarutska was a refugee from Ukraine, who had fled a war-torn country only to perish inside the U.S., one of the most prosperous and conflict-free places in the world, because of soft-on-crime policies? 

I don’t understand. When Goerge Floyd was killed by police, murals appeared in response in major cities all over America. His death, which was wrongful, prompted a massive public reckoning with the criminal justice system. Now, another reckoning is needed. Our subways are unsafe. Our streets have too many violent and mentally ill people. Innocent victims are suffering because of it. 

Are these facts that blue-city Democrats wish to deny? Is the face of Iryna Zarutska a reminder to them that they have failed to implement policies that would make public transportation safer — that they coddle criminals and the violently insane, because they don’t want to face the truth that their governance has failed? 

David Morales said people in his city don’t feel safe because of the mural. I would submit that most people don’t feel safe because of violent, deranged criminals assaulting people on trains with impunity. Very few people feel unsafe because a mural pointed out some inconvenient truths that leftists hold. They don’t feel unsafe at all. They feel offended — offended that someone is calling them out. 

Robby Soave is co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising” and a senior editor for Reason Magazine. This column is an edited transcription of his daily commentary. 

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