Left-wing MacArthur Foundation gave $3.3 MILLION to Charlotte's Mecklenburg County to reduce jail population

It has been revealed that the left-wing MacArthur Foundation gave millions of dollars to North Carolina’s Mecklenburg County, which encompasses Charlotte, to reduce its jail population. This comes as questions have been raised regarding the repeated release of 34-year-old Decarlos Brown, the suspect charged with murdering Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte train in August.

The $3.3 million grant from the MacArthur Foundation was reported by the Daily Wire’s Megan Basham, who wrote, "Another factor in the death of Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte's light rail--the left-wing MacArthur Foundation giving Mecklenburg County a $3.3 million grant to reduce the jail population. Specifically as part of "racial equity aims."

She added, "Like Soros' Open Society, the MacArthur Foundation incentivizes local municipalities to make residents less safe by leaving threats like Decarlos Brown on the streets."

Mecklenburg County said that it was awarded $1 million in 2020 "to continue supporting the County's efforts to develop and implement strategies capable of positively impacting the main drivers of the local jail population" and $350,000 in 2022 "to ensure recent reforms were sustainable" from the MacArthur Foundation, bringing the total to $3.3 million. 

As part of the county’s plans to reduce the jail population, it planned to "to implement strategies aimed at addressing system inefficiencies, enhancing existing services, providing non-jail alternatives for defendants, and increasing community engagement in local justice system reform." 

The county noted that between 2014 and 2017, it reduced its jail population by 11 percent. "While these numbers are worthy of celebrating, Mecklenburg County's Department of Criminal Justice Services continues to search for ways to reduce the use of incarceration for defendants." The county noted specifically that "Despite making up approximately 47 percent of the local population, African Americans and Hispanics make up 82 percent of the jail population."

Brown was arrested 14 times, and after his most recent arrest he was let go without bail. While a psych evaluation was ordered, it was never carried out. He spent time in prison on felony robbery charges and when he was released in 2020 he was arrested again for assaulting his sister.

Zarutska, who fled her home country due to the ongoing war, was fatally stabbed on a Charlotte light rail train on August 22. Footage showed the suspect sitting behind her before standing and stabbing her. It wasn't until the footage was released that the public outcry hit a fever pitch.