Charlotte mayor had no problem in primary-re-election on Tuesday despite backlash over train murder

Charlotte, North Carolina, Mayor Vi Lyles is celebrating a primary reelection victory despite the national backlash she’s receiving.

On Tuesday, Lyles won the Democratic Party’s mayoral primary, defeating four challengers and going on to face the Republican nominee, Terrie Donovan. Donovan has put crime at the top of her platform, even before the tragic killing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska rocked the city and sparked national outrage.

Lyles’s victory is largely overshadowed by her statement on the killing, which appeared to sympathize more with the alleged murderer, Decarlos Brown Jr., who had been arrested 14 times prior to boarding the South End light rail train in late August.

“This is a tragic situation that sheds light on problems with society and safety nets related to mental healthcare and the systems that should be in place. As we come to understand what happened and why, we must look at the entire situation,” she wrote in her statement, which stunned critics. “While I do not know the specifics of the man’s medical record, what I have come to understand is that he has long struggled with mental health and appears to have suffered a crisis. This was the unfortunate and tragic outcome. While there are questions about the safety and security of our transit system and our city, I do know that there have been significant and sustained efforts to address safety within our transit system and across our city.”

She then went on to assure people that her city and the public transportation that services it are “safe” despite millions watching the murder of a young, white woman while onlookers did little to offer assistance.

“Charlotte is, by and large, a safe city. CATS, by and large, is a safe transit system. However, tragic incidents like these should force us to look at what we are doing across our community to address root causes,” she said. “We will never arrest our way out of issues such as homelessness and mental health. I am committed to doing the hard work with Mecklenburg County, community leaders, healthcare service providers, and the private sector to ensure that Charlotte continues to be one of the best cities in the world, with the highest quality of life for everyone.”

Lyles then made sure that homeless people and those with mental illnesses didn’t feel attacked by her comments.

“Mental health disease is just that – a disease like any other that needs to be treated with the same compassion, diligence, and commitment as cancer or heart disease. Our community must work to address the underlying issue of access to mental healthcare,” she said, saying precious little about the actual victim of the crime.

But not to fear, she also made sure to throw in that homeless people are “more frequently the victim of crimes and not the perpetrators,” which surely makes everyone who has ever been victimized feel much better.

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