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PULSE POINTS
❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Democrat state Representative and mayoral candidate in Providence, Rhode Island, said a mural of murdered Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska does not reflect the city’s “values” and should be removed.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Democrat state Rep. and mayoral candidate David Morales, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley (D), and Republican state Senator Jessica de la Cruz.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Providence, Rhode Island, Monday evening.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Ultimately, we want to make sure that every community member that calls Providence home feels safe… this mural behind us does not reflect Providence’s values.” – David Morales
🎯IMPACT: Morales has faced backlash for demanding the removal of the mural, with some residents and fellow state officials criticizing the idea that remembering the dead is “divisive.”
IN FULL
David Morales, a Democrat state representative and mayoral candidate in Providence, Rhode Island, has called for a mural of Iryna Zarutska, the Ukrainian refugee murdered by a serial criminal in Charlotte, North Carolina, to be removed. Morales denounced the mural as being out-of-step with the city’s values, saying: “Ultimately, we want to make sure that every community member that calls Providence home feels safe… this mural behind us does not reflect Providence’s values.”
Morales further characterized the mural as “divisive,” stating: “We’re seeing a right-wing movement that is exploiting the death of the refugee for the purposes of trying to spread division.” Painted on the wall of a gay club in Providence, Rhode Island, the mural is dedicated to Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee stabbed to death on August 22 in North Carolina, allegedly by DeCarlos Brown, a man with a history of criminal offenses—but often spared prison or released early due to liberal judges and prosecutors refusing to pursue more serious charges—who declared “I got that white girl” after the killing. Brown has been indicted for first-degree murder.
Upon completion, the mural was protested and vandalized by far-left activists in Providence. Mayor of Providence Brett Smiley (D) has also called for its removal, stating, “The misguided, isolating intent of those funding murals like the one across the county is divisive and does not represent Providence.”
Still, not everyone agrees with Providence’s far-left local officials. Rhode Island state senator Jessica de la Cruz (R) voiced her opposition to removing the mural, describing it as a form of free expression protected by the First Amendment. “The First Amendment exists to protect expression like this, even when it’s uncomfortable. Ordering it removed isn’t leadership. It’s censorship,” she posted on X (formerly Twitter).
The mural is part of a nationwide project partially funded by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who criticized the lack of coverage of the case from corporate media outlets. Notably, Providence officials have previously allowed George Floyd murals.
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