Elon Musk and Intercom CEO Fund $1.5m Project to Honour Iryna Zarutska with Murals in US Cities
Silicon Valley entrepreneurs have stepped forward following the killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, whose death shocked the nation.
Eoghan McCabe, chief executive and founder of Intercom, pledged $500,000 in $10,000 grants to fund murals of Zarutska’s face in major American cities.
«I am offering $500k in $10k grants to paint murals of the face of Iryna Zarutska in prominent US city locations,» McCabe wrote.
Those wishing to contribute or take part were urged to contact his chief of staff, Katie Brenske Tolstedt.
His announcement drew the attention of billionaire Elon Musk, who offered to add $1 mln. Musk has spoken out repeatedly about Zarutska’s case, including the way media outlets have covered the crime and the public’s reaction.
Andrew Tate also pledged the same amount of financial support as Elon Musk, $1 mln.
According to a person working on the campaign, more than 1,000 artists are now in talks over the project as organisers look for high-visibility sites. Alongside murals, poster campaigns are also being planned in several major cities. The source said McCabe was determined that Zarutska not be forgotten or ignored by mainstream media, stressing that her death highlighted the failures of left-leaning policies.
A Cultural Response Similar to George Floyd Tributes
After George Floyd’s killing in 2020, murals and statues appeared nationwide, and the organisers say they hope to spark a similar cultural response.
Zarutska’s murder has sparked outrage after surveillance footage of her stabbing on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina went viral. The suspect, 32-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., had 14 prior arrests before allegedly stabbing her to death on a Lynx Blue Line train. He has since been charged with first-degree murder, with federal authorities adding an additional charge of causing death on a mass transportation system.
President Donald Trump described the video as «horrific» and questioned why Brown, whom he called a «mentally deranged lunatic,» had been free despite a long criminal record.
Zarutska’s Life in the US
Zarutska fled to the United States in 2022 to escape the Russia-Ukraine war and had been working at a local pizzeria. Her family, in their first statement, said:
«This could have been anyone riding the light rail that night. We are committed to making sure this never happens again.»
