Iryna Zarutska, 23, was stabbed in the neck three times while traveling home on the light-rail from her evening shift at a pizza parlor in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Aug. 22.
The man accused of killing her, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., had been arrested for 14 cases, dating back to 2007, and was released again on cashless bail in January.
Released CCTV footage that shows multiple angles of her killing has caused massive outrage on social media.
Just as George Floyd’s murder in 2020 prompted nationwide murals, Eoghan McCabe, the CEO and co-founder of Intercom, is calling for murals to honor Zarutska.
On Tuesday night, McCabe wrote in an X post, “I am offering $500k in $10k grants to paint murals of the face of Iryna Zarutska in prominent U.S. city locations.” In an update Wednesday morning, McCabe said he received funding for nearly 300 murals and has been in touch with 800 interested artists.
Elon Musk said he will contribute $1 million, as has the controversial internet influencer Andrew Tate.
A GiveSendGo campaign, titled “Iryna Zarutska did not ask to be a martyr,” has raised over $55,000 of its $100,000 goal. So far, over 550 people have donated.
The campaign was created by McCabe, and the CEO promises, “Every dollar beyond that donated here will help,” and all installations will be in “high visibility locations,” “well executed” and “completed legally.”
Applications for mural grants will open in the next few days. McCabe has encouraged artists to send him proposals.
Some have already begun sending mural ideas to McCabe on X.
Amid mourning for Zarutska, politicians are calling for change
In Congress, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., have introduced new legislation to the House and the Senate that would ban cashless bail in Washington, D.C., and “work to end it nationwide.”
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein has called for “more cops on the beat to keep people safe,” adding that his budget calls for more funding for police, per his X post Monday.
