The only people who should watch Iryna Zarutska dying

There are precious few people who should watch the video released yesterday of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska slowly dying as she cowered in bewilderment and abject fear on a train carriage in Charlotte, NC, after being slashed three times in the neck by a violent repeat offender. Certainly not rubberneckers on the internet whose depraved interest will only intrude on her family’s private grief. And absolutely not her family, for them it is the worst nightmare they could imagine come alive. A jury will have to. Two other groups who should: Democrats and the media.  They created this nightmare so they should be forced to see the uncomfortable truth and direct result of what they have done. 

If this horrifying act doesn’t finally force them both to confront the deadly consequences of their support for “soft on crime” and open border policies, then what will? 

For years they have both looked away, excused, or even celebrated policies that empower predators and silence victims. The result has been predictable: more grieving families, more stolen lives and communities forced to live in fear.

Even worse, Democrat politicians and mainstream media journalists pretend this tragedy – and the countless others like it – don’t even exist. They ignore the victims, downplay the crimes and allow these failings to fester year after year.

These tragedies are the inevitable result of Democrat policies that put the “rights” of criminals over the safety of the innocent. And they have taken a terrible toll not just on strangers, but on my own life – forcing me to leave New York and nearly relocate to Charlotte, North Carolina, before realizing that I would have been walking into the same danger all over again.

Decades after my boyfriend and his best friend were killed by three brothers – two of whom walked free despite criminal records and the third was sentenced to only a few years – I had to flee New York after watching my quality of life crumble under the weight of failed policies that empowered criminals and punished victims. When it came time to relocate, I carefully weighed my options. One was Rock Hill or Fort Mill, South Carolina – close to Charlotte. The other was Florida.

I knew Charlotte was volatile and unsafe, just like so many other Democrat-run cities across the country. Why would I uproot my family from one blue state that endangered us only to live near another city infected by the same “bail reform” and “social justice” nonsense? I chose Florida, and I am grateful every day that I did.

In Mecklenburg County, home to Charlotte, criminals are routinely released on unsecured bail. That means they can walk free without posting a dime. Where is the accountability? Police risk their lives to put violent offenders behind bars, only for judges to turn them loose again. Officers re-arrest the same predators and the cycle repeats – until someone innocent pays the ultimate price, like Iryna.

And let’s be clear: this isn’t about race, no matter how desperately some will try to frame it that way. It’s about right and wrong. Predators belong behind bars. Every time they’re released, another victim is created.

As a victim advocate, I worked with a rape victim who came here illegally, believing America would give her a better life. Instead, she was brutalized by two gang members – both minors at the time. They nearly killed her, and afterward, one of them sought out her three-year-old daughter. She only survived by the grace of God.

Her attackers received little more than a slap on the wrist. Justice failed her so completely that she returned to her home country because it was safer there. Think about that: a woman who came to America for protection fled back home to escape our so-called “justice system.”

And she is not alone. Twenty-three-year-old Iryna Zarutska should still be alive. Laken Riley should still be alive. Rachel Morin should still be alive. Jocelyn Nungaray should  still be alive. The list grows every week.

These young women are not statistics. They are daughters, friends, loved ones who were stolen because lawmakers valued “equity” for criminals over the lives of innocent victims.

I’ve seen this cycle play out more times than I can count. I’ve watched law enforcement agents put violent offenders in jail, only to watch a judge decide they’re “not a threat” and release them. Days or weeks later, they would be arrested again – and the same judge would send them back out into the community.

How many times do we allow this to happen before admitting the truth? At some point, society has to draw a line. Deterrence matters. Whether through long prison sentences or even harsher measures, there must be real consequences for those who intentionally harm others.

Democrats’ policies follow a predictable and destructive pattern. Bail reform ensures criminals are released almost immediately. Sanctuary policies shield dangerous offenders from deportation. Open borders flood communities with unvetted individuals, some of whom go on to commit horrific crimes.

And yet, Democrats stand at podiums calling these policies “progressive” and “compassionate.” Tell that to the families planning funerals. Tell that to the parents laying flowers on their children’s graves.

This is not partisan for victims. It is life or death. Enough is enough. We need policies that prioritize public safety over ideology. We have to end unsecured bail for violent offenders.Scrap sanctuary policies that protect criminals over citizens. Enforce immigration laws to prevent tragedies before they happen. Demand accountability from judges and lawmakers who enable repeat offenders.

Democrats like to call their “soft on crime” and open border agendas compassionate. But there is nothing compassionate about women being raped, students being murdered, or families burying their loved ones because repeat violent offenders are allowed to roam free. These policies aren’t abstract experiments – they are deadly. And Democrats have blood on their hands.