Iryna Zarutska / 2002-2025

[Valerie]

Funny how the political winds twist.
I can imagine the two sides arguing for the opposite side of the narrative had bounced just a little bit differently.
For example, I can imagine the right having no sympathy for this murder, if the victim was a Mexican immigrant. And I can see the left arguing the travesty of it all, if the murderer would have been a white male.

I find neither sides principles very consistent, instead I find them both unattractively based on reaction and identity, and narrative.

I think that makes a lot of assumption that this was about race or something. It wasn't and isn't.

Statistically, it is true that certain races are over-represented in offenders and other races are over-represented in victims but I think we can all have the maturity to look past that.

Some assumptions about race, immigration, and politics, yes.

You obviously don’t understand the right and still don’t get it about immigration and the reason for the importance of legal immigration and the importance of knowing who exactly is trying to sneak into our country and why. In general, it has nothing to do with race but potential dangers such as drugs, sex trafficking, potential terrorists, and escaped criminals or ones purposely let out- it gets tiresome to assume racism when it’s not about race.

[temporal1]

A year since.

2026 Aug 22 / “It’s been 1 year since Iryna Zarutska was killed on Charlotte light rail: Where things stand”
https://www.wbtv.com/2026/08/21/its-bee ... ngs-stand/

On Friday, Aug. 21, the family filed a lawsuit against the city of Charlotte and Professional Security Services, the private security contractor for the Charlotte Area Transit System, as a defendants.

Attorney Lauren Newton said the family was seeking accountability through both the criminal justice system and civil court. ..

To repeat, for me, what makes this case unforgettable is the unbiased light rail video that captures what happened.
(i presume what has been made public has been edited, for both graphic violent content and length.)

In my view, having experienced a similar attack in my 20’s, the video reflects a step-by-step account of how UNPROVOKED violent attacks occur.

Unprovoked, without resistance, without striking back. Only horror and terror.

The general presumption is, there is provocation, resistance, retaliation. No.
Those things happen, AND, they’re dramatic, fighting is dramatic, they get a lot of airtime, they lead to presumptions.

This case reveals another scenario altogether. UNPROVOKED violence. Unpredictable.
Perpetrated by extreme cowards.

The unbiased tapes reveal “what victims do” in such attacks.

NOT just 20-something white girls. Race is of no consequence.
Neither age, condition, whether disabled or trained, fit security personnel.
AI could likely replace Iryna in the tapes with a child or grandfather - same thing.

In my case, i’ve always SUSPECTED the perp was a white guy. i do not know. He was wearing a ski mask, it was dusk.

When he grabbed me from behind, i glimpsed his forearm, it was a flash, nothing more. i thought i saw fine blonde hair on his forearm! THE ONLY CLUE. In the lack of light, it’s meaningless.

No matter.

i suppose, if Iryna could speak, like i, she would say she meant no harm and means no harm.
She wouldn’t have done anything differently. That it was horrible and she wouldn’t want it to happen, ever, to anyone. Full stop.

i believe the unbiased light rail tapes reflect an ancient horror that has never stopped repeating in all of time.
Primitive and barbaric.

Now my grdaughter uses public transportation
“Personal body guards / chaperones”
https://forum.mennonet.com/viewtopic.php?t=9060
She’s cautioned, of course, all young ones are cautioned, i don’t believe she knows about any of our family history of various crimes,
i doubt she knows about Iryna Z.

[JohnH]

I’ve found the Lindsey Clancy trial and societal goings on about it far more disturbing. We seem to have moved on as a society from abortion past infanticide and straight up to justifying premeditated murder of toddlers.

[temporal1]

I’ve found the Lindsey Clancy trial and societal goings on about it far more disturbing. We seem to have moved on as a society from abortion past infanticide and straight up to justifying premeditated murder of toddlers.

This topic isn’t meant to be a competition for what’s most disturbing.

i couldn’t agree more that reports surrounding the LC horror reflect a grotesque world i’d prefer to deny exists. i can’t.
it seems a continuation of cheering+funding heinous crimes. in the LC case, particularly by well educated+privileged women.
https://forum.mennonet.com/viewtopic.php?t=7802

these seem to be extreme results of complete denial of the sanctity of life. how could this happen?

- - - - - - -

my grdaughter has just begun college, a small Catholic college.
her roommate is a nursing student. they’re off to a great start. i’m so happy to say.

i’m hoping+praying emphasis there will be on sanctity of life, no matter major or minor.

[JohnH]

Hopefully they end up better off than nurse Clancy.

[temporal1]

Hopefully they end up better off than nurse Clancy.

P.8 / Lindsay Clancy / Cheering+funding .. https://forum.mennonet.com/viewtopic.ph ... 2&start=70