The Iryna Zarutska murder on Charlotte’s light rail should have been prevented. Horrific video footage shows the 34-year-old Ukrainian woman sitting peacefully on her commute when Decarlos Brown Jr. began ruthlessly stabbing her, pacing up and down the train car with blood dripping from his knife as other passengers fled in terror.
ME: Do you have any stats of crime in Democratic party controlled cities to Republican party controlled cities?
Claude AI:
Top Violent Crime Cities (2024 FBI data):
- Memphis: 2,501 violent crimes per 100,000 – Democratic mayor
- Kansas City, Mo.: 1,547 violent crimes per 100,000 – Democratic mayor
- Milwaukee: 1,431 violent crimes per 100,000 – Democratic mayor
- Nashville: 1,124 violent crimes per 100,000 – Democratic mayor
- Denver: 993 violent crimes per 100,000 – Democratic mayor
Highest Homicide Rates:
- Jackson, Mississippi: 77.8 per 100,000 – Democratic mayor
- Memphis: 40.6 per 100,000 – Democratic mayor
- Baltimore: 34.8 per 100,000 – Democratic mayor (Brandon Scott)
- Cleveland: 30 per 100,000 – Democratic mayor (Justin Bibb)
- Washington D.C.: 25.5 per 100,000 – Democratic mayor (Muriel Bowser)
Result: All the top violent crime cities and highest homicide rate cities listed have Democratic mayors.
The Pattern Extends Beyond the Worst Cities
The statistics get even more damning when we examine a broader sample. When asked to identify the party control of America’s top 20 most violent cities, the results reveal a stunning monopoly:
ME: what party controls these cities: 20. Tulsa, Oklahoma – 19. Toledo, Ohio – 18. Houston, Texas – 17. Chicago, Illinois – 16. Minneapolis, Minnesota – 15. New Orleans, Louisiana – 14. Nashville, Tennessee – 13. Anchorage, Alaska – 12. San Bernardino, California – 11. Oakland, California – 10. Indianapolis, Indiana – 9. Albuquerque, New Mexico – 8. Stockton, California – 7. Cleveland, Ohio – 6. Milwaukee, Wisconsin – 5. Kansas City, Missouri – 4. Memphis, Tennessee – 3. Baltimore, Maryland – 2. Detroit, Michigan – 1. St. Louis, Missouri
Claude AI:
Based on my research, here are the party affiliations for the cities on your list:
20. Tulsa, Oklahoma – Democrat Monroe Nichols
19. Toledo, Ohio – Democratic mayor
18. Houston, Texas – Houston Mayor John Whitmire (D) (Democratic)
17. Chicago, Illinois – Democratic mayor
16. Minneapolis, Minnesota – Democratic mayor
15. New Orleans, Louisiana – Democratic mayor
14. Nashville, Tennessee – Freddie O’Connell Democrat
13. Anchorage, Alaska – Nonpartisan Suzanne LaFrance defeated incumbent Republican David Bronson on May 14 (Nonpartisan as of 2024)
12. San Bernardino, California – Democratic mayor
11. Oakland, California – Democratic mayor
10. Indianapolis, Indiana – Mayor Joe Hogsett (D) (Democratic)
9. Albuquerque, New Mexico – Democratic mayor
8. Stockton, California – Democrat Christina Fugazi
7. Cleveland, Ohio – Justin Bibb (Democratic – he’s the new president of the Democratic Mayors Association)
6. Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Democratic mayor
5. Kansas City, Missouri – Democratic mayor
4. Memphis, Tennessee – Democratic mayor
3. Baltimore, Maryland – Brandon Scott (D) (Democratic)
2. Detroit, Michigan – Democratic mayor
1. St. Louis, Missouri – Democratic mayor
Result: 19 out of 20 cities have Democratic mayors. Only Anchorage has a nonpartisan mayor (who defeated a Republican incumbent).
Democratic Party Crime Crisis
The media silence surrounding Iryna Zarutska’s brutal murder reveals another layer of the Democratic Party’s crime crisis. While George Floyd’s death sparked months of wall-to-wall coverage and nationwide protests, Iryna Zarutska’s murder video draws outrage only after weeks of media indifference. The mainstream media’s selective coverage protects Democratic politicians from accountability for their failed policies.
This isn’t coincidence—it’s calculated. Democratic-controlled cities have systematically implemented policies that prioritize criminals over victims: progressive prosecutors who refuse to seek maximum sentences, bail reform that puts dangerous repeat offenders back on the streets within hours, and “restorative justice” programs that treat violent crime as a social services issue rather than a public safety threat.
Decarlos Brown’s 14 prior arrests perfectly illustrate this system’s failure. Despite serving five years for robbery with a dangerous weapon, he was free to terrorize Charlotte’s transit system. Each of those 14 cases represented a choice by Democratic leadership to show mercy to Brown rather than protect future victims like Iryna Zarutska.
The pattern extends beyond individual cases. Democratic mayors consistently defund police departments while funding social programs that have proven ineffective at reducing violent crime. They implement “community policing” initiatives that sound compassionate but leave residents vulnerable to predators like Brown.
Meanwhile, Charlotte’s Democratic leadership defended this approach even after Zarutska’s murder. The prevailing attitude among Democratic officials—that “we will never arrest our way out of issues such as homelessness and mental health”—treats violent criminals as victims themselves and directly enabled Brown’s killing spree.
The 95% Democratic control of America’s most violent cities isn’t statistical noise. With only Anchorage’s nonpartisan mayor breaking the pattern (and she defeated a Republican incumbent), the correlation is undeniable. It’s the predictable result of policies that consistently choose criminal rehabilitation over victim protection, social justice over public safety, and political correctness over common sense.
Outro: The Iryna Zarutska Murder Was Preventable
Iryna Zarutska didn’t have to die. Her murder was the inevitable result of a system that gave Decarlos Brown 14 chances to escalate his violence. Each arrest, each light sentence, each early release brought him closer to that Charlotte light rail car where he would end an innocent woman’s life.
The 95% Democratic control of America’s most dangerous cities represents more than statistics—it represents thousands of preventable tragedies like Iryna’s. While Democratic politicians offer empty condolences and blame “systemic issues,” real people pay the price for their ideological experiments with public safety.
President Trump was right when he called the death penalty the “only option” for animals like Brown. But the real solution requires more than punishing individual killers—it demands holding accountable the Democratic politicians whose policies enable them.
Charlotte’s voters had the chance to reject this failed leadership, but Mayor Vi Lyles won re-election despite Iryna Zarutska’s blood on her hands. Until voters in America’s most violent cities demand change, more innocent victims will suffer the consequences of Democratic crime policies.
Iryna Zarutska came to America seeking freedom and opportunity. Instead, she found a system that protected her killer more than it protected her. Her murder stands as a testament to the deadly cost of putting criminals before victims—and the urgent need to restore justice to America’s streets.