NC NAACP President believes Gov. Stein should not sign Iryna’s Law

CHARLOTTE, NC — The death that changed Charlotte, maybe forever. More than a month after the heinous murder of Iryna Zarutska on the light rail, a bill named Iryna’s Law sits on Governor Josh Stein’s desk. Some are hoping it doesn’t get signed.

“We’re asking the governor to veto the bill because it is a reactionary, not a reformative bill,” said North Carolina NAACP President, Deborah Dicks Maxwell.

Dicks Maxwell wants to see public safety reinvented with more emphasis on mental health.

“We have to be better in North Carolina. Set an example and show that we can be fair in sentencing, fair in providing mental health services, and be just about it,” explained Dicks Maxwell

Iryna’s Law requires judges and magistrates to consider a person’s mental state before deciding bail. The bill also eliminates cashless bail for certain offenses and will make it more difficult for violent and repeat offenders to get out of jail while they await trial.

Zarutska’s death has put light rail safety in the national spotlight. CATS had a news conference planned for Wednesday to talk about improvements to transit safety but, it was pushed to Friday.

CATS officials say there are already more officers patrolling along the blue line and on light rail trains. Technological safety enhancements have also been talked about.