A Democrat running to be the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, told a local reporter that a mural of murdered Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska did not reflect the city’s “values.”
Zarutska was stabbed to death on Aug. 22 in Charlotte, North Carolina, while returning home from work on the city’s light rail system by DeCarlos Brown, a man with a lengthy criminal history. Democratic state Rep. David Morales discussed the pending removal of the mural from the wall of a gay club with WJAR TV, the NBC affiliate in Providence, on Monday evening. (RELATED: City Official Says Murder Victim May Have ‘Startled’ Illegal Alien Who Shot Her)
“We’re seeing a right-wing movement that is exploiting the death of the refugee for the purposes of trying to spread division,” Morales told a reporter. “Ultimately, we want to make sure that every community member that calls Providence home feels safe … and we can both agree that this mural behind us does not reflect Providence’s values.”
Morales did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
WATCH:
The mural, part of a nationwide project partially funded by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, was paused on Friday following protests from some residents of the city. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley demanded the mural’s removal in a statement to WJAR Monday morning.
“The murder of the individual depicted in this mural was a devastating tragedy, but the misguided, isolating intent of those funding murals like the one across the county is divisive and does not represent Providence,” Smiley claimed. “I continue to encourage our community to support local artists whose work brings us closer together rather than divide us.”
Zarutska’s murder went viral on social media after authorities released video of the fatal stabbing on Sept. 5, prompting Axios to post an article claiming “MAGA influencers” were using the killing to push a narrative about crime getting worse. Musk made multiple posts about the killing and also reposted other users on X who discussed the incident and the apparent lack of coverage by corporate outlets.
“Providence calls itself the ‘Creative Capital’—but is it? This isn’t a vulgar or explicit mural. It’s a portrait—a face—memorializing a victim,” Republican Rhode Island state Sen. Jessica de la Cruz posted on X Monday. “The First Amendment exists to protect expression like this, even when it’s uncomfortable. Ordering it removed isn’t leadership. It’s censorship. Hard to square ‘No Kings’ rhetoric with acting like one.”
“You don’t get to be the Creative Capital if creativity needs permission,” de la Cruz concluded.
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