One of the most horrific crimes in recent memory was the August stabbing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska. A young Ukrainian refugee just trying to build a new life, Zarutska was heading home after her shift at a pizza shop in Charlotte, N.C., when she boarded the city’s light rail.

She sat down in front of Decarlos Brown Jr., a man who — without reason, without provocation — stabbed her to death. She bled out on the floor of a train in the very city that had welcomed her.

And yet, this tragedy is far too familiar. Americans in Charlotte and across the nation are sick and tired of watching the justice system bend over backwards to “understand” criminals while treating victims like afterthoughts. We coddle repeat offenders, excuse violent behavior, and put the so-called “rights” of criminals above the safety of ordinary citizens.

Enough. The people of Charlotte are right to demand accountability, because if a young woman fleeing war can’t find safety here, what does that say about us?