FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 31, 2026

Contact: communications@ri.gop

RIGOP Condemns Providence Democrats’ Broken Moral Compass Over Removal of Mural Honoring Murdered Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska

The Rhode Island Republican Party today denounced Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, State Rep. David Morales, and their Democrat allies for demanding the removal of a privately funded mural honoring Iryna Zarutska, the 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee brutally murdered last summer. Their actions reveal a disturbing willingness to erase the memory of a tragic victim rather than confront the failures of soft-on-crime policies that enabled her killer. In a shocking display of misplaced priorities, Mayor Smiley labeled the mural “divisive” and “misguided,” claiming it “does not represent Providence.” Socialist mayoral candidate and State Representative David Morales went further, declaring that the mural “does not reflect Providence’s values” and would make residents “feel less safe.”

“Honoring the memory of an innocent young woman who was stabbed to death by a repeat offender somehow violates ‘Providence values’? This is moral bankruptcy,” said RIGOP Chairman Allyn Meyers. “Iryna Zarutska’s murder was preventable. Her alleged killer had a lengthy record of lower-level charges that resulted in little to no jail time. Instead of facing this reality and fighting for tougher accountability, Mayor Smiley and Rep. Morales want to whitewash her story from public view. Their moral compass is completely broken.”

The controversy erupted after the mural became part of a national effort to highlight the human cost of lenient criminal justice policies. Zarutska’s killing drew the nation’s attention due to the suspect’s prior arrests and failures in the system, issues Rhode Island Democrats have repeatedly downplayed through soft on crime policies over public safety. Republicans stand with the vast majority of Rhode Islanders who believe victims deserve remembrance and repeat offenders deserve consequences. Erasing Iryna’s face from a Providence wall does not make anyone safer; it only protects failed progressive ideology from scrutiny.

“The Democrat leadership in Providence would rather tear down a memorial to a murdered immigrant than admit their policies endanger law-abiding citizens,” the Chairman continued. “This isn’t compassion. It’s cowardice. Rhode Island families deserve leaders who put public safety first, not politicians more concerned with political optics than preventing the next tragedy.” The RIGOP calls on all Rhode Islanders to reject this shameful erasure and demand accountability from officials who value ideology over innocent lives.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 4, 2025

Contact: communications@ri.gop

Meyers: Three Years After Washington Bridge Closure, No One Held Accountable

WARWICK, RI – Today, Republican Party of Rhode Island Chairman Allyn Meyers released the following statement following the announcement of Peter Alviti’s departure as Director of RIDOT:

“Just over three years after the public learned of the closing of the Washington Bridge, and following Governor McKee’s subsequent promise of a “day of reckoning,” Rhode Island taxpayers have yet to see anyone held accountable for the failure to maintain the primary crossing point between the two ends of the state,” said Chairman Allyn Meyers.

“With today’s announcement of RIDOT Director Peter Alviti’s “retirement,” Rhode Islanders are reminded that poor leadership at the highest levels allowed drivers to commute for months over a bridge that was critically unsafe for travel,” said Meyers. “Serious warnings were ignored, blame was shifted, businesses have been forced to close, and the taxpayers are left with a bill of more than $300 million.”

“When seeking information about this once-in-a-generation crisis, the public and media were met with deflection and obfuscation,” Meyers continued.

“Rhode Islanders deserve leaders who proactively solve problems before they become critical and are fully transparent when concerns arise,” Meyers said. “The Rhode Island Republican Party calls for a renewed, urgent focus on repairing and maintaining our state’s bridges and roads, and even more importantly, for its elected leaders to finally be held accountable for years of neglect and failure.”

“Our Party looks forward to the election and appointment of competent leaders who put politics aside and prioritize the well-being of Rhode Islanders first,” Meyers concluded.