A brutal murder on a Charlotte, North Carolina, public transit train exemplifies failures in Democrat-led criminal justice reforms, according to a statement from the White House.
Charlotte Area Transit System surveillance video captured the fatal stabbing of a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, Iryna Zarutska, after a repeat offender with over a dozen arrests was released by a Democratic judge in January, according to White House officials.
The suspect, 34-year-old DeCarlos Brown, had been arrested at least 14 times for violent crimes over a decade.
Despite his lengthy criminal record, mental health issues, and three bond forfeitures, Magistrate Teresa Stokes released him on a written promise to appear.
The White House statement highlighted multiple North Carolina Democratic initiatives it claims prioritize “woke agendas” over public safety. These include Charlotte’s 2020 police “reimagining” program that diverted 911 calls from law enforcement.
Then-Governor Roy Cooper established a racial equity task force co-chaired by current Governor Josh Stein. The group recommended eliminating cash bail and promoting alternatives to arrest.
Mecklenburg County received millions from foundations advocating no-cash bail policies over seven years. The county hired equity consultants to address “racial disparities” in criminal justice.
Charlotte Police Chief Johnny Jennings stated in 2020 that “law enforcement, in general, is based on racism.” He suggested the department could “probably slow down” on discretionary arrests.
Democratic State Senator Mujtaba Mohammed declared “independence from rogue police” that same year.
President Trump responded to the incident on Monday: “There are evil people. We have to be able to handle that. If we don’t handle that, we don’t have a country.”