Leftists in Providence, Rhode Island are upset at the owners of a local LGBTQ bar for having a mural of Iryna Zarutska painted on their building.
The club has paused work on the mural in response to the backlash.
Zarutska was a 23-year-old immigrant from Ukraine who was brutally stabbed to death on a light rail train in North Carolina last year. The case became a national flashpoint with many, including President Donald Trump, blaming the Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies that allowed the assailant to remain free even after he committed other violent crimes.
Billionaire Elon Musk funded a coast-to-coast initiative to create murals in Zarutska’s honor.
Artist Ian Gaudreau started work on the Rhode Island mural after a friend shared a post about the initiative. He said the project was not meant to be political.
The club owners issued a statement explaining that the mural “was created for our community to honor Iryna’s memory, mental wellness, LGBTQIA+ rights, immigration, the war, unity, and anti-Trump policies.”
I'm here in Providence where owners of a gay bar who describe themselves as Democrats halted work on mural funded in part by @elonmusk honoring Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, murdered on train earlier this year in NC. Mayor Smiley has called for mural to be removed. #pvd pic.twitter.com/mH2lbm8Ibb
— JohnFGately (@johnfgately) March 30, 2026
They noted that the project “is temporarily paused” and that they “will be releasing the final rendering of the project to the public for the TRUE meaning to be understood.”
“We're sorry for the chaos this has caused. We are progressive Democrats, we do not support Donald Trump or politics of division, and our values are deeply rooted in inclusion, equality, and respect,” the statement concluded.
No taxpayer funds have been used to create the mural.
Naturally, since nothing can be apolitical, some in the community are wailing and gnashing their teeth. Lex Conaway questioned why the club should single out Zarutska for honor. "Where are the murals for everyone that died for Black Lives Matter? I haven't seen any of those," she told WJAR.
"He can support a white woman in America," Conaway added. "What about the Black women in America that are dying every day on the streets?"
Leftist protesters, and the mayor in Providence Rhode Island are bashing a gay club for painting a mural on its private property honoring Iryna Zarutska, a woman who was murdered in North Carolina last year.
— Jeff Charles, Asker of Questions🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) March 30, 2026
“He can support a white woman in American, what about the black women… pic.twitter.com/9J8zddlzQh
Mayor Smiley confirmed on Sunday that he wants the club to take the mural down, claiming that projects funded by outside groups are misguided.
Gaudreau and other residents argued that people should set politics aside and focus on the victim. “I think everybody was pretty moved by the way that she was just so publicly murdered,” he said.
Resident Nicholas Bassett agreed. "Providence, being the creative capital, let's keep politics out of it," Bassett said. "Let the art speak for itself."
🚨 JUST IN: Providence club halts Iryna Zarutska mural after backlash from black community
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) March 29, 2026
“Where are the murals for everybody who died for BLM?”
“What about black women who die every day?”pic.twitter.com/VXjGTn0BNY
It is hard to put into words how ridiculous this whole thing is. If a private entity wants to honor a murder victim — regardless of their ethnicity — then what’s the problem? Zarutska’s death was tragic. Criticizing someone for honoring her just because she is white is one of the reasons why so many have gravitated away from the hard left.
In this case, you have progressives who were moved by Zarutska’s death and wanted to acknowledge her. If she were black, none of these leftists would care. In fact, if they have an issue with the owners honoring a white victim instead of black victims, why wouldn’t they erect their own memorials? Why try to destroy someone else’s project?
Nothing is stopping them from painting murals or taking other actions to honor other victims. The fact that they aren’t shows just how deeply they actually feel about this. It’s nothing more than faux outrage aimed at politicizing something that doesn’t need to be politicized.
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