You can tell what lurks in the souls of modern woke Democrats by whom they honor and whom they ignore.
For instance, according to WJAR-TV in Providence, Rhode Island, backlash from woke leftists — including Democratic Mayor Brett Smiley of Providence — has led to the planned removal of an unfinished mural in the city dedicated to murder victim Iryna Zarutska, the 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee stabbed to death by a repeat criminal on a train in August in Charlotte, North Carolina.
That was too much, apparently, for Providence progressives.
The mural was being painted outside a gay, downtown club called The Dark Lady, according to WJAR.
In a statement that sounded like something out of the “struggle sessions” of China’s Mao-era Cultural Revolution, club’s owners announced they were “deeply and sincerely sorry” for the controversy.
“We are deeply and sincerely sorry for everything that has taken place over the past week,” the statement said, according to WJAR. “After reflecting and learning, we have made the decision to discontinue this project and will move forward with removal as soon as possible. We remain committed to fostering unity, safety, and care for all members of our community, and we will continue to listen, learn, and act with those values at the forefront.”
The artist painting the mural, Ian Gaudreau, told WJAR, that “a lot of people voiced their frustrations, and voices were heard, and the work is coming down as a reaction to that.”
By “a lot of people,” Gaudreau apparently meant miserable online leftists who regularly choose malice and destruction over truth and beauty. That includes Smiley.
“The murder of the individual depicted in this mural was a devastating tragedy, but the misguided, isolating intent of those funding murals like this across the country is divisive and does not represent Providence,” the deranged mayor said in a statement released Monday, according to WJAR.
“I continue to encourage our community to support local artists whose work brings us closer together rather than further divides us.”
Providence mayor calls mural of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska ‘divisive’ after train stabbing death https://t.co/PZjzK5WGOc pic.twitter.com/auDw5cbv2x
— New York Post (@nypost) March 30, 2026
Note that Smiley could not even use Zarutska’s name. No doubt calling her “the individual” helped soothe the mayor’s conscience, if he has one. After all, Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies facilitated Zarutska’s murder.
Thirty-four-year-old DeCarlos Brown, the man accused of killing Zarutska, had an extensive criminal history along with serious mental-health problems. Nonetheless, a woke magistrate set Brown free prior to the murder.
When given the chance, of course, woke Democrats will always choose the likes of Brown over victims like Zarutska.
Predictably, Democratic state Rep. David Morales of Rhode Island, who is challenging Smiley for the mayor’s post in this years election, agreed with his rival on the mural.
“We’re seeing a right-wing movement that is exploiting the death of the refugee for the purposes of trying to spread division,” the woke Morales said, according to WJAR. “Ultimately, we want to make sure that every community member that calls Providence home feels safe … And we can both agree that this mural behind us does not reflect Providence’s values.”
Elon Musk, owner of the social media platform X, helped fund the mural through a nonprofit group, Gaudreau told WJAR. No doubt that fact alone caused woke liberals’ heads to explode.
The issue, of course, goes beyond Zarutska, Brown, and Musk. It raises the broader question of why woke Democrats love criminals and hate victims.
If that seems a bit hyperbolic, consider those who, in recent years, woke Democrats have transformed into heroes: George Floyd, a career criminal who once held a gun to a woman’s stomach during an armed robbery; Luigi Mangione, an accused murderer; Kilmar Abrego Garcia, accused of human trafficking and beating his wife; and every other illegal immigrant who, by definition, has broken the law.
Conversely, consider how Democrats have publicly treated murder victims’ families.
In his State of the Union address in February, President Donald Trump honored Zarutska’s mother. But elected Democrats on hand refused to do the same.
During Trump’s speech to Congress in March 2025, Democrats pulled a similar stunt. When the president introduced the mothers of Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungary, Democrats refused to stand.
What makes woke Democrats love criminals and hate victims?
In short, it’s the same thing that makes them celebrate the slaughter of innocents in the womb. And it has no earthly origin.
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