The loss of life is the greatest tragedy we experience, especially when someone’s life is taken away by another. Iryna Zarutska was murdered, and the depth of this tragedy is magnified by her youth, by her recent journey to the United States to live free, and by the preventable nature of the crime. I offer my condolences to her loved ones, and my prayers, but I do not pretend that those are in any way a sufficient response for her brutal killing, or for any victims of our city’s policies that have allowed crime to grow to the point where we are among the three most dangerous cities in the United States.
Charlotte is built in a way that would flourish under a dedicated community policing program. Done right, we would see lower crime, better officer safety, more positive communities, and increased officer morale. We could pay our cops more and give them better benefits while reducing overall police spending. The results from the recent community policing program CMPD Serves serve as proof that public safety benefits when the police and the communities they serve are engaged and connected in a positive and respectful manner.
When the community is engaged in its own wellbeing, the people work together to prevent crime. Similarly, when police are invested in the communities where they serve, they are motivated to reduce crime and improve people’s lives, not just to make arrests.
We don’t need to be spending millions on military vehicles to breach buildings, and we certainly shouldn’t be expected to accept hush hush $300,000 payoffs to departing personnel, especially in the wake of high-profile resignations of officers at our city and county police departments.
Iryna Zarutska’s murder was a terrible tragedy that could have been prevented. But her murder, and all the suffering of recent victims of violent crime, need not be in vain. We, as a city, have a chance to make transformational change that will build a foundation we can stand on into the future. We can have a city where residents and visitors are safe on the streets, on public transportation, and in the neighborhoods. We can build for prosperity.
-Rob Yates, Libertarian Candidate for Mayor of Charlotte
https://prospercharlotte.com/
