The mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, has once again criticized a mural initiative that was ultimately scrapped. This project intended to pay tribute to Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee who was tragically killed in North Carolina last year, allegedly by a repeat offender on public transportation.
“It’s unfortunate that politics today have reached a point where everything becomes a contentious issue,” Mayor Brett Smiley expressed during an interview with WPRI. “This project should have focused solely on the tragic loss of a life, but it became skewed by an incorrect tweet from our president. Subsequently, it attracted funding from certain right-wing billionaires and stirred up our local community.”
Smiley criticized the mural project for bypassing a certain “thoughtful process” that the city typically follows when commissioning public art. The mural was privately funded and was being created on the exterior wall of a private establishment.
The unfinished mural of Iryna Zarutska, located on the side of the Dark Lady club in Providence, was photographed on March 30, 2026. (Image by David DelPoio/The Providence Journal/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
In a notable contribution, Elon Musk donated $1 million to support a nationwide effort to create public murals honoring Zarutska.
“The owner of the building chose to have the mural painted, possibly without fully grasping its implications,” Smiley remarked. “When questioned about whether it should be removed, I agreed it should. I didn’t suppress anyone’s freedom of expression; the decision to remove it was up to the owner. However, the mural was causing division rather than unity in our community, provoking intense protests and hateful online discourse. It didn’t foster a stronger, more cohesive community, so I believed removing it was the right course of action.”
Earlier this week, Smiley put out his first statement on the mural, calling it “divisive” and “misguided.”
Iryna Zarutska curls up in fear as a man looms over her during a disturbing attack on a Charlotte, N.C., light-rail train. (NewsNation via Charlotte Area Transit System)
“The murder of the individual depicted in this mural was a devastating tragedy, but the misguided, isolating intent of those funding murals like the one across the country is divisive and does not represent Providence,” the statement said, later adding that he wants to “encourage our community to support local artists whose work brings us closer together rather than divide us.”
The business that planned on displaying the mural was The Dark Lady, an LGBT bar in the city.
Facing backlash from the LGBT community and others, the owners of the bar first defended themselves, saying on Instagram, “Any of you who know us personally—even just for five minutes—realize the illicit intentions being portrayed here are completely false.”
The next day, the bar released a statement saying the project was being “temporarily” paused.
Booking photo of Decarlos Brown Jr., taken Sept. 14, 2022, following his arrest in Mecklenburg County. Brown, 34, is charged in the Aug. 22, 2025, stabbing death of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska aboard a Charlotte light-rail train. (Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office)
Still, the business faced intense heat.
On Tuesday, the bar said that after “reflecting and learning,” the project was officially shut down.
Zarutska was killed on Aug. 22 after she was randomly stabbed from behind on a Charlotte, North Carolina, light-rail train. The suspect in her unprovoked murder is Decarlos Brown Jr., who had a lengthy rap sheet, including convictions for larceny, breaking and entering, and armed robbery.
He had previously served five years in prison.
Fox News Digital reached out to Smiley’s office.
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