Congressional hearing spotlights crime, "weak leaders" in Charlotte
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Rep. Norman displays a large image of Zarutska cowering on the train. The moment, captured on surveillance video, was shared millions of times online and gave rise to national outrage over the stabbing. Photo: Alexandria Sands/Axios
A U.S. House subcommittee held a field hearing in Charlotte Monday to spotlight concerns about crime in Democratic-led cities, following the fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on the city's light rail system Aug. 22.
Why it matters: The Congressional hearing is intended to gather testimony from victims' families and experts that will help shape future policies.
Catch up quick: Zarutska's alleged attacker, Decarlos Brown Jr., had a history of violence and schizophrenia. He was arrested in January for misusing 911, but was released from jail without bond.
- "How many more of these folks are on the street right now today that should be incarcerated?" Rep. Tim Moore (R-N.C.) said in a press conference after the hearing.
State of play: Democratic Gov. Josh Stein has a bill on his desk called "Iryna's Law" that Republican state leaders crafted to limit cashless bail and revive the death penalty.
- Moore expects the N.C. General Assembly would be able to override the governor's veto, if it comes to that.
What they're saying: Charlotte police officer Justin Campbell, who was severely injured in an April 2024 shooting, testified that local law enforcement is stretched thin because they're arresting the same repeat offenders.
- "I feel like the majority of the work that I've done was pointless," Campbell said, "because they'll be out on the streets while I'm still writing the report."
- Campbell called the judicial system in Mecklenburg County "trash," adding that the cashless bail system is a "joke."
Yes, but: A crime data analyst at the hearing pointed to a national decline in violence. North Carolina was one of 44 states to report a drop in murder in 2024 relative to 2023, Jeff Asher testified, citing the FBI.
- In Charlotte, murders are down 29% year-to-date, according to the Real-Time Crime Index.
- Asher recommended that policy makers study which factors are accelerating the downward trends.
The other side: Republican members cast Asher's statistics as "rosy." Congressman Brad Knott, for one, said police departments can manipulate figures, noting that Asher's data disregarded drug overdose homicides.
- Knott said, based on conversations with people on the ground in Charlotte, Asher's conclusions were "not tethered to reality."
State of play: The committee has held similar hearings in other blue cities, including Chicago.
- Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), chair of the judiciary committee's Subcommittee on Oversight, wrote on X that the hearing would expose "Democrats' soft-on-crime policies."
- "Bad leaders let this happen," he said Monday. "Weak leaders."
Friction point: Officials from both parties accused the other of politicizing the tragic deaths of Zarutska and other victims.
- When Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) displayed a blown-up image of Zarutska cowering on the train moments before her death, Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.) pleaded for it to be put away for the family's sake.
- In his introduction, Van Drew veered into transgender issues. At another point, Rep. Deborah Ross referenced President Trump's record of low white-collar crime enforcement.
Steve Federico shared the story of his daughter, 22-year-old Logan Federico, who was shot and killed following a break-in in Columbia. The man charged with her murder had 25 felonies on his record and should "have been in jail for over 140 years for all the crimes he committed," Federico testified.
- Mia Alderman, the grandmother of murder victim Mary Santina Collins, voiced her frustration with the justice system. Only one of four defendants in the heinous 2020 case has had a trial, as the Mecklenburg County District Attorney's office is still working through homicide cases from 2019.
Between the lines: Attorney Dena King testified that the DA's office should have 144 state prosecutors for its size. It has 84.
- Republicans argued more funding is not a solution: "If you're spending the money on the wrong stuff over and over again and continuing bad policies over and over again, the money doesn't matter," Van Drew said.
What's next: Rep. Mark Harris (R-N.C.) said he will introduce two bills in the next week.
- The "No Funding for Lawless Jurisdiction Act" would strip federal grants for public safety from cities that defund their police or implement cashless bail.
- The "Cashless Bail Reporting Act" would require the Department of Justice to identify jurisdictions that implement cashless bail policies — "so Americans can easily know if their city is releasing dangerous criminals back onto the streets."
- Harris said the legislation will "hold Democrat run cities accountable."
