Mural of Iryna Zarutska outside gay bar to be removed as Democratic mayor stokes outrage mob

A mural honoring slain Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska will be removed after an outrage mob deluged a gay bar with complaints.

The office of Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, a Democrat, made his opposition to the mural clear on Sunday. Smiley then released a statement Monday morning.

'All of this political vitriol being kicked up has removed Iryna's humanity from her story.'

"The murder of the individual depicted in this mural was a devastating tragedy, but the misguided, isolating intent of those funding murals like this across the country is divisive and does not represent Providence," reads the statement from the mayor's office. "I continue to encourage our community to support local artists whose work brings us closer together rather than further divides us."

Artist Ian Gaudreau began painting the mural outside a prominent LGBTQ+ club in downtown Providence last week with the aid of a fund supported by tech billionaire Elon Musk. Gaudreau told WJAR-TV that he didn't intend it to be political.

"I want everybody to know that my intention with the mural was to lower the temperature," the artist said.

One resident named Jennifer Cross told WJAR that she supports the mural.

"Here in Rhode Island, in Providence, this is what we're about," Cross said. "We should be accepting of everything and take politics aside, honor all of the people who need to be honored, and just stop. I know the divisiveness of today's politics ... but stop. Let it go forward. She needs to be honored."

Others in Providence, known as the Creative Capital, opposed it.

"Where are the murals for everybody that died from Black Lives Matter? I don't see any of those," said one woman who spoke to WJAR. Notably, the words "Black Lives Matter" were painted in bold colors on Washington Street in Providence in 2021.

By Monday afternoon, news broke that the project had been canceled.

"We heard you PVD. We are deeply and sincerely sorry for everything that has taken place over the past week," reads a statement from the owners of the Dark Lady bar. "After reflecting and learning, we have made the decision to discontinue this project and will move forward with removal as soon as possible. We remain committed to fostering unity, safety, and care for all members of our community, and we will continue to listen, learn, and act with those values at the forefront."

The decision was excoriated by state Republican Minority Leader Sen. Jessica de la Cruz.

"This isn't a vulgar or explicit mural. It's a portrait — a face — memorializing a victim. The First Amendment exists to protect expression like this, even when it's uncomfortable," she wrote on social media.

"Ordering it removed isn't leadership. It's censorship. Hard to square 'No Kings' rhetoric with acting like one. You don't get to be the Creative Capital if creativity needs permission," she added.

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Zarutska was 23 years old and returning home from her job at a pizza shop when she was brutally stabbed to death without provocation by a black suspect who was caught on security video. The suspect charged with the murder has a long history of criminal arrests and mental illness. Musk responded by donating $1 million to a fund dedicated to painting murals in her honor across the country.

"All of this political vitriol being kicked up has removed Iryna's humanity from her story," Gaudreau said. "And I think we'd all do better to remember that."

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