In a horrific attack, a young woman was brutally murdered while taking public transportation home from work in Charlotte, North Carolina. 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska was stabbed 3 times from behind by a man with whom she'd had no previous interaction. Making the incident potentially even more tragic: Zarutska herself was a refugee from Ukraine, having already fled unimaginable violence in hopes of finding stability and peace. She had lived with her family in a bomb shelter before finding her way to the United States, only to be killed on her way home from work.
The suspect, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., was arrested in the immediate aftermath of the attack and charged by the Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Department with first-degree murder. He was later federally charged and indicted by the US Attorney’s Office in the Western District of North Carolina with committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system. If he is found guilty, he could potentially face the death penalty, an outcome with which the President is in strong agreement. On social media, Trump wrote, "The ANIMAL who so violently killed the beautiful young lady from Ukraine, who came to America searching for peace and safety, should be given a 'Quick' (there is no doubt!) Trial, and only awarded THE DEATH PENALTY. There can be no other option!!!"
The incident comes as the president weighs sending National Guard troops to particularly crime-ridden American cities to serve as assistance to local police. How many democratic governors and mayors have expressed staunch resistance to the idea, maintaining that local and state police departments are capable of keeping the peace. Meanwhile, crime in Washington, DC has reached a nearly all-time low since Trump deployed his guard in the capital city, with carjackings decreasing a whopping 83% and robbery by 46%. In response to the improvements, Republican Governor of Tennessee, Bill Lee, asked the President to send troops to Memphis, with other states ideally following suit.
While Trump has not yet taken steps to deploy his guard to Charlotte, the Department of Transportation, led by Secretary Sean Duffy, has already launched an extensive review of the city’s public transit security, and the entire administration has placed secure blame on democratic policies in the criminal justice system. Reports indicate that despite transit police being located one car in front of the crime scene, it took 6 minutes for officers to respond.
Despite the brutal incident, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles went on to win her Democratic primary for reelection with over 70% of the vote against four challengers just two weeks later. A majority of sitting city council members are expected to hold their seats come November. The group recently drew ire for singing Happy Birthday and eating cake immediately before a council presentation on the murder and potential safety upgrades for the city.
Should the National Guard be deployed to Charlotte, NC? What threshold should exist for the president to send them without an invitation?
Hilary Gunn is a Connecticut native with a degree in Criminal Justice from the George Washington University. She works for a nonprofit and has previously collaborated with the CT GOP as an activist, political campaign manager and field director, and social media organizer. She is currently serving in her fourth term of municipal office and has previously acted as a delegate on the Republican Town Committee.