Matt Van Swol@mattvanswol
Although I think in general, we attribute far too much value to someone's final words, it was not lost on me that Charlie's last written words on X were to my post of Iryna Zarutska.
Charlie was k*lled the next morning.
I think about it constantly.
Honestly, it was the driving force behind my reporting on crime and the justice system for the past few months on this platform, especially in North Carolina
I knew things were bad, I had no idea how bad they truly were.
I thought I was radicalized back then... I had no idea how deep the rot actually would be.
The reporting I've done since has shown me things I can't unsee.
These judges sign off on releases that should never happen.
Repeat offenders are cycling through a system designed to look busy while literally doing nothing at all to keep innocent people safe.
Victims do not get justice.
Meanwhile every single person you ask on the street, "Hey, do you think violent criminals are in jail?"
They say, "Oh for sure!"
And they are wrong.
We were lied to and told to trust institutions that stopped deserving it YEARS ago.
Iryna Zarutska was on that train because someone failed her.
Not once. Many, many times.
By many people with many fancy titles and many high-earning salaries and absolutely ZERO accountability.
Charlie saw it.
He knew, long before I ever did.
He had been saying it louder than almost anyone.
That the gap between what institutions claim to do and what they actually is a giant chasm.
The appearance of order and the performance of safety, with nothing but rot underneath.
I thought I was radicalized when Iryna was k*lled... I had NO IDEA how bad things were.
And a LOT of people knew and said nothing because saying it out loud means people call you a racist or call you mean or call you a grifter...
Well, Charlie can't say it anymore.
But I can, and you can.
It's the least we can do.