As public outrage grew over last month’s killing on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, Mayor Vi Lyles focused her initial statement on addressing mental health issues, warning that “we will never arrest our way” out of some of the underlying causes of crime.
A day later, facing accusations that she had downplayed the stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, Lyles pivoted.
She announced an increased law enforcement presence on the transit system and accused the local courts of “tragic failure,” reported CNN.
“Our police officers arrest people only to have them quickly released, which undermines our ability to protect our community and ensure safety,” Lyles said.
The shift in tone illustrates Democrats’ ongoing challenges in messaging on public safety.
Five years after the murder of George Floyd sparked a racial reckoning and a brief push among some Democrats to cut funding from police departments to provide money to social services, the party has failed to articulate a vision that addresses concerns over crime and criminal justice reform.
Zarutska’s death, and the release last week of surveillance video capturing the attack, has ignited several veins of the national debate over public safety.
Democrats agree that their messaging lacks the simplicity and cohesion of Republicans’ tough-on-crime approach. There is also a growing consensus that, even if federal statistics show that crime is down, that doesn’t change voters’ perception of their own safety.