The White House is continuing to criticize the Democrat mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, for what it says is her “soft-on-crime” response to a young Ukrainian refugee woman being killed on a light-rail train by a 14-time repeat offender.
“The Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies and bizarre focus on DEI in crime have fueled a crime crisis in Democrat-run cities around the country,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told The Daily Signal on Wednesday.
Decarlos Brown Jr. was arrested and released 14 times before transit system video shows he killed 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s light-rail system on Aug. 22.
After the slaying, on Aug. 27, the Democrat mayor of the city, Vi Lyles, said, “We will never arrest our way out of issues, such as homelessness and mental health.”
Lyles said Brown “appears to have suffered a crisis” and blamed “problems with society safety nets” for the crime.
“This is not a ‘complicated issue,’ like many Democrats and left-wing media outlets have tried to claim,” Jackson countered. “It is very simple: Violent criminals belong behind bars, not sitting behind innocent bystanders on public transportation.”
Brown served five years in prison for armed robbery starting in 2014. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia and has been repeatedly arrested. He was detained earlier this year, but released after he made a “written promise” to appear before a court.
Trump has blamed Democrats’ policies for the violence and has said the only appropriate punishment for Brown is the death penalty.
“The ANIMAL who so violently killed the beautiful young lady from Ukraine, who came to America searching for peace and safety, should be given a ‘Quick’ (there is no doubt!) Trial, and only awarded THE DEATH PENALTY,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “There can be no other option!”