PF1 Friday Minisode: Left's Aversion to Honoring Victims of Violent Crime - Pod Force One

Summary4 min read

Pod Force One: PF1 Friday Minisode

"Left's Aversion to Honoring Victims of Violent Crime"

Host: Miranda Devine
Date: April 3, 2026

Episode Overview

In this mini episode, Miranda Devine addresses what she describes as the "left's strange aversion to honouring victims of violent crime," focusing especially on the controversy surrounding the removal of a mural honoring Irina Zarutska—a Ukrainian refugee murdered in Charlotte, NC. Miranda critiques Democratic leaders for what she sees as political hypocrisy, selective outrage, and policies she believes prioritize criminals over victims.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Irina Zarutska’s Story and Mural Controversy

Removal of the Providence Mural
- The mayor of Providence, Brett Smiley, ordered the removal of a mural honoring Irina Zarutska before the artist could complete her face ([00:10]).
- Miranda describes this as an “erasure” of Irina’s identity by “political sadists who do not want Americans to remember the 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who is stabbed to death on a light rail train... by a deranged homeless man” ([00:22]).
- She emphasizes Irina’s tragic journey: fleeing a war zone only to be murdered while returning from work in America ([00:36]).

Criticism of Democratic Leaders and Values

Mayor Brett Smiley and Rep. David Morales’ Reactions
- Smiley criticized the mural as “divisive” and “not representative of Providence” ([01:10]).
- Morales stated it “does not reflect the values of Providence” ([01:20]).
- Miranda challenges these comments, questioning what values they are truly upholding: “Values that pretend there is no violent crime problem in Democrat-run cities. Values that excuse the cold blooded slaughter of an innocent young woman because she is white and her killer is black.” ([01:30]).
Broader Accusations
- She accuses Democratic policies of:
  - Allowing violent repeat offenders to roam free
  - Prioritizing compassion for criminals over victims ([02:00])
  - Defunding and demonizing police
  - Ignoring or diminishing public safety concerns, especially for women ([02:30])
- Notable quote:
  
  “Values that place compassion for the violent predator above compassion for the victim… values that feign concern for women but conspire to hurt them.” — Miranda Devine ([02:15])
Political Motivation Alleged
- Miranda states that the left “wants social chaos and moral dysfunction because that frightens the citizenry and makes us all easier to manipulate.” ([03:00])

Community Activism & Contributors

Murals for Irina: Grassroots and Tech Industry Efforts
- The murals are both a grassroots movement and partially supported by Elon Musk and tech CEO Ian McCabe ([03:18]).
- Their motivation: to ensure Irina and other victims are not forgotten ([03:30]).
Vandalism and Double Standards
- Irina murals are regularly vandalized, which Miranda attributes to a “demonic expression of hatred for innocents” ([03:50]).
- Contrast drawn between the treatment of the Irina murals and George Floyd murals, which she says are “treated as reverently as shrines” ([04:00]).

Comparisons with Responses to Other Violent Crimes

George Floyd Case
- Miranda points out that Floyd—a “convicted violent felon and drug addict”—was elevated to sainthood, with murals and street logos commemorating him ([04:10]).
- The prosecution and sentencing of Derek Chauvin is used as an example of Democrats being “very tough on crime when it suits them politically” ([04:25]).
Ashley Babbitt Shooting
- She references the shooting of Ashley Babbitt, contrasting the Democratic response—obscuring the identity of the police officer, Michael Byrd, and rewarding him ([04:35])—with their zeal in the Floyd case.
Local Policy Critique
- Providence officials, according to Miranda, have taken steps to prevent cooperation between local police and ICE, even when ICE has arrested “illegal alien perverts on child sex charges with zero help from local authorities” ([05:05]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On “Values” of Left-Leaning Cities:

“Values that excuse the cold blooded slaughter of an innocent young woman because she is white and her killer is black... Values that place compassion for the violent predator above compassion for the victim.” — Miranda Devine ([01:30] & [02:15])
On Political Motivations:

“They want social chaos and moral dysfunction because that frightens the citizenry and makes us all easier to manipulate.” — Miranda Devine ([03:00])
On Double Standards:

“By contrast, Democrats valorized the convicted violent felon and drug addict George Floyd as a saint… Blue city officials painted giant Black Lives Matter logos on roads to commemorate Floyd and the violent, antifa-driven riots that engulfed the country after his death.” — Miranda Devine ([04:00])
On Immigration Enforcement:

“Smiley has signed executive orders… that ban Providence police from helping ICE. Morales called ICE a rogue agency that is murdering people and must be abolished. In the last year, ICE has arrested multiple illegal alien perverts on child sex charges with zero help from local authorities.” — Miranda Devine ([05:05])

Timestamps for Important Segments

[00:01] — Introduction and topic set-up
[00:10-00:40] — Background on Irina Zarutska’s murder and mural removal
[01:10-01:30] — Statements from Providence mayor and state rep; Miranda’s critique
[02:00-03:00] — Outline of criticisms of Democrat city policies
[03:18-03:50] — Grassroots activism, Elon Musk’s involvement, mural vandalism
[04:00-04:25] — Comparison with George Floyd case and Democratic political responses
[04:35-05:05] — Ashley Babbitt shooting and local ICE policy
[05:10] — Closing thoughts

Summary

Miranda Devine’s PF1 Friday Minisode is a charged commentary on left-wing politics, particularly in urban America, and the perceived reluctance to honor victims of violent crime when politically inconvenient. Using the case of Irina Zarutska’s mural as a focal point, Miranda contrasts the public treatment of different crime victims, challenges the motives and values of Democratic lawmakers, and highlights what she sees as inconsistencies in the application of compassion and justice, especially in relation to police, illegal immigration, and high-profile violent crimes.

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Transcript1 lines

[00:02]
A
Hello, it's Miranda. I'm back with a new mini episode of Podforce one. This feature is a little more topical and relevant to my job as a columnist for the New York Post. Today's topic is about the left's strange aversion to honouring victims of violent crime like Irina Zarutska. It's fitting that the Irina Zarutska mural in Providence is being removed on the say so of the city's lefty mayor before the artist could complete the murdered young woman's face. Her long blonde hair is there and the outline of her beautiful features, but her identity is being erased by political sadists who do not want Americans to remember the 23 year old Ukrainian refugee who is stabbed to death on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina by a deranged homeless man with a long and violent rap sheet. Irina fled a war zone, but it was more dangerous for her to ride public transport home from her job at a pizzeria in her work uniform at 9:45pm on a Friday in a blue city, Providence Democrat Mayor Brett Smiley this week slammed the mural honoring her as divisive and it does not represent Providence, he said. His equally callous Democrat stablemate, Rhode Island State Rep. David Morales, opined to a local NBC reported that the artwork honoring Irina, quote, does not reflect the values of Providence. What values might they be? Values that pretend there is no violent crime problem in Democrat run cities. Values that excuse the cold blooded slaughter of an innocent young woman because she is white and her killer is black. Values that allow violent repeat felons to roam the streets freely in search of vulnerable prey. Values that defund the police so we have no protection from psychopaths who might want to slit our throats or push us in front of a subway on a whim. Values that demonise police and neuter their ability to beat crime in Democrat cities. Values that protect illegal migrant killers, rapists, pedophiles and assorted gangbangers from being deported. Values that place compassion for the violent predator above compassion for the victim. Values that hold quote we can't arrest our way out of crime, as the idiot Charlotte Democrat Mayor V. Lyles said last August in lieu of an apology after Irina's murder. Values that want prisons to be abolished. Values that ignore the wishes of every American who just wants their loved ones to be safe coming home from work. Values that feign concern for women but conspire to hurt them. Values that make us all less free in our own cities. Those are the values that the ironically named Smiley and Morales believe in because these are the values of the revolutionary left that has colonized their party. They want social chaos and moral dysfunction because that frightens the citizenry and makes us all easier to manipulate. The murals that are being painted all over the country in honor of Irina are part grassroots expression and partly a project of Elon Musk and another compassionate tech CEO, Ian McCabe. They felt the same horror and sadness any normal person did when they watched the surveillance footage of Irina being attacked, slumping to the floor and bleeding to death alone while fellow passengers watched. They put their money where their hearts were so we would not forget Irena, who symbolizes all the other innocent victims who are so inconvenient to the leftist project as thanks their community service is demonised as fascist by the likes of Smiley and Morales and the Brooklyn lefties who deface the Irena mural in their patch. The Irena murals in blue cities are regularly vandalized in some demonic expression of hatred for innocents. By contrast, Democrats valorised the convicted violent felon and drug addict George Floyd as a saint with countless murals all over the country that are treated as reverently as shrines. Blue city officials painted giant Black Lives Matter logos on roads to commemorate Floyd and the violent antifa driven riots that engulfed the country after his death. The white cop convicted of Floyd's second degree murder, Derek Chauvin, was convicted to great acclaim and locked in jail for more than 22 years because when it suits them politically, Democrats are very tough on crime. When a black cop, Michael Byrd, shot dead an unarmed white woman, Iraq War veteran Ashley Babbitt, on January 6, 2021 during the Capitol riot, Democrats conspired to hide his identity, pay him secret bonuses and ensure he suffered no consequences. The Democrats who run Providence love Floyd and oppose immigration enforcement against the illegal alien criminals who roam freely in their sanctuary city. Smiley has signed executive orders in 2025 and 2026 that ban Providence Police from helping ICE. Morales called ICE a rogue agency that is murdering people and must be abolished. In the last year, ICE has arrested multiple illegal alien perverts on child sex charges with zero help from local authorities. Those are the values Democrats like Smiley and Morales uphold. Yet they still win elections. Go figure. Thanks for listening. I'll be back with another episode on Monday. Hope you can tune in to PodForce 1 and enjoy the rest of your week.