REP. MARK HARRIS: Charlotte homicide highlights coverage failures with repeat offenders

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Iryna Zarutska fled war-torn Ukraine searching for security — however America failed her.

Zarutska, a 23-year-old daughter and sister, escaped the horrors of battle and sought a brand new starting in the USA. As an alternative, she was brutally stabbed to demise whereas using a Charlotte gentle rail. In a horrific assault caught on digital camera, her throat was reduce by a violent repeat offender with 14 prior arrests. Which begs the query: Why was a violent felony with 14 arrests free to roam our streets? Sadly, such chaos is a standard prevalence in a Democrat-run metropolis.

This was not a random act. It was a preventable tragedy, a failure of our system to guard the weak. America failed Zarutska, and we should guarantee it doesn't fail others like her.

CHILLING VIDEO SHOWS MOMENTS BEFORE UKRAINIAN REFUGEE STABBED TO DEATH ON CHARLOTTE LIGHT RAIL

As a consultant of North Carolina, I'm heartbroken and outraged by what occurred so near house. This incident displays a broader disaster unfolding throughout our nation, the place soft-on-crime insurance policies permit harmful criminals to evade accountability. Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles has claimed, "We'll by no means arrest our means out of points reminiscent of homelessness and psychological well being." I disagree.

Although addressing root causes is essential, we can't ignore the speedy want to guard our communities by guaranteeing repeat offenders face penalties. Loving our neighbors means defending them from individuals who haven't any enterprise strolling our streets.

America failed Zarutska and we should guarantee it doesn't fail others like her.

The Left’s strategy of prioritizing leniency for offenders over justice for victims has left too many, like Iryna, weak. In Democrat-led cities, from Charlotte to Chicago, we see a troubling sample of downplaying lawlessness whereas overlooking the ache of those that undergo.

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Media shops typically amplify this narrative, portraying criminals as victims of circumstance whereas ignoring the actual victims — households torn aside, communities residing in worry, and lives like Iryna’s reduce brief.

This strategy has devastating penalties. Zarutska deserved higher. America deserves higher.

The violence in Charlotte is a microcosm of a nationwide epidemic. Over Labor Day weekend in Chicago, at the very least eight folks have been killed and 58 others have been injured in shootings throughout town. Gov. J.B. Pritzker claims crime is below management, however the numbers inform a special story.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker speaks throughout a press convention amid reviews of federal deployments to Chicago Sept. 2, 2025. (Kamil Krazaczynski/AFP by way of Getty Photographs)

Throughout the nation, cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia report related challenges, with 81% of People citing crime as a serious problem in latest polls. The general public is demanding motion — they usually’re proper to take action.

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President Donald Trump has proven {that a} tough-on-crime strategy works. Since August 2025, the Trump administration’s crackdown in Washington — bolstered by federal regulation enforcement and Nationwide Guard help — has led to over 1,900 arrests and the seizure of greater than 200 unlawful firearms within the capital. A 12-day stretch with out a murder marked a pointy break from D.C.’s historic common of a homicide each different day.

This commonsense enforcement demonstrates that decisive motion can yield actual progress. Even Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser couldn't argue with the numbers.

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks at a press convention after President Donald Trump introduced a federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Division on the Wilson Constructing on August 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Photographs)

Sadly, Democrat insurance policies too usually shield unlawful aliens, criminals, terrorists, and gang members, leaving American communities uncovered to violence. Republicans prioritize the protection of law-abiding residents over the sentiments of criminals.

To deal with this disaster, we'd like a balanced strategy: speedy, sturdy regulation enforcement to take away harmful offenders from our streets and long-term investments to deal with the foundation causes of crime. It additionally means reforming bail programs to make sure violent repeat offenders are usually not simply launched to hurt harmless folks like Zarutska.

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Zarutska’s demise is a name to motion. America should be a spot of security and peace.

I urge my Democratic colleagues to hitch Republicans in placing victims first, supporting regulation enforcement, and investing in our communities. Collectively, we are able to honor Iryna Zarutska’s reminiscence by constructing a safer, stronger America — one the place no 23-year-old girl fears being stabbed by a repeat offender who gave the impression to be only a stranger sitting behind her on a prepare.