As RedState reported, the Republican-controlled North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation this week that seeks to address some of the issues that many believe allowed 23-year-old Charlotte resident and Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska's alleged killer, 34-year-old homeless man and repeat offender Decarlos Brown Jr., to roam free.
On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance visited North Carolina to express support for Iryna's Law and law enforcement, amplify public safety concerns, and call out the soft-on-crime policies that have enabled violent criminals to run loose and victimize more people.
During a speech Vance gave at Concord-Padgett Regional Airport in Concord, NC, he noted that if Charlotte's Democrat Mayor, Vi Lyles, or Stein wanted the federal government to send in help to battle crime, they would be more than happy to do so.
But a focal point of his remarks centered around Zarutska's senseless killing and how so-called leaders in the state, including Democrat Senate candidate and former Gov. Roy Cooper, had completely failed Zarutska and other victims like her, correctly pointing out that Brown had been arrested 14 times:
“They (law enforcement) did everything that they could to keep this thug off the streets. And it was the political leadership that failed,” Vance told Wednesday’s crowd. “I think every politician who didn’t work hard to keep violent criminals behind bars deserves to have some of the blame, but at the very top of that list is Governor Cooper, because at the time that we were pushing these soft on crime policies, Governor Cooper was the man in charge.”
Watch:
At the same event, Republican Senate candidate and former RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, who has also hammered Cooper on this issue, reiterated the point about Cooper's actions being a contributing factor in Brown not being locked up:
READ MORE: Michael Whatley Drops Receipts on Roy Cooper As Fatal Stabbing Becomes Focal Point in NC Senate Race
But in a particularly powerful moment, Vance was asked by WSOC-TV reporter Joe Bruno if he'd had a chance to watch the heartbreaking video of Zarutska's murder, which was released by CATS (Charlotte Area Transit System) earlier this month. Vance said he'd seen some of it but had to turn away at other parts.
But one part he apparently didn't turn away from is the one that appeared to show no one around Zarutska stepping in to help her until almost two minutes after the attack, and at a point where it was probably too late to do anything to try and save her life.
On that point, an emotional Vance referenced his kids and how his youngest is a little girl who he joked got away with everything. Raising his voice, Vance implored men to step up and protect women and girls in such instances (an abbreviated version of Vance's remarks is below):
"I have not seen the video from start to finish. I had to cover my eyes for part of it because it was so gruesome."
"Maybe I should just stare at it. Maybe all of us should stare at it, to know the kind of people we are fighting."
"What happened to her was really, really disgusting. And I think it comes from a deep and dark and evil place that exists, thankfully, in a very few number of people."
"If you are a man – I don‘t care what skin color you are, rich or poor. But if you are a man and you see the pleading eyes of a girl looking up for protection, we have to protect our girls and our women in this country."
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As for Iryna's Law, Democrat Gov. Josh Stein is said to be reviewing the bill ahead of deciding on whether to sign it, veto it, or take no action on it. If he does the latter within a certain timeframe, it effectively becomes law. If he vetoes it, Republicans likely will have the votes to override it.
Editor's Note: President Trump isn't going to allow lawlessness to reign in America. We will not have a repeat of 2020's "Summer of Love."
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