The same people who tell you to give up your car and take public transportation are the ones making it unsafe. They push their climate agenda, shame you for driving, and demand you ride the bus or train. But when it comes to protecting riders, they side with criminals instead of victims. In Democrat-run city after city, public safety takes a backseat to “justice reform” and other failed experiments.
The horrific stabbing of Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte train by a man with 14 prior criminal arrests, including at least one for violent assault, shows what happens when a society loses its sense of accountability. A young woman was murdered in public as others stood by. Were they indifferent or paralyzed with fear? They know criminals roam free, and they know that stepping in could put them on trial or get them stabbed as well for trying to help a fellow citizen.
We saw the same thing in New York with Daniel Penny. He acted to protect passengers on a subway car and was rewarded with an arrest. That case sent a clear warning: if you defend yourself or others, you could be treated like the criminal. As a result, more people will choose silence, even when lives are at stake.
The Charlotte stabbing isn’t some tragic accident. It is the direct result of policies pushed by Democrats like Zohran Mamdani, Gavin Newsom, JB Pritzker, and others, who openly call to defund the police and even to empty jails. They know what these policies produce. They see the repeat offenders cycling in and out, the violence rising on city streets, and families left unprotected. And yet, they continue to double down as if we don’t have enough evidence that a revolving door of justice produces death and mayhem.
Public transit only works in a society where people feel safe. That trust has been shattered by leaders who weaken the police, cut prosecutions, and demonize Good Samaritans. Democrats tell you to ride the train, but they refuse to protect you once you are on it.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made that point on Monday:
There is no middle ground here. Either you support public safety, you lock up violent criminals, and you restore order, or you invite more stabbings, more attacks, and more fear out in public. Democrats have made their choice clear by repeatedly siding with criminals.
The real question is whether the public will tolerate it any longer.