Multiple events are taking place in Fort Collins today in remembrance of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The Turning Point USA founder was scheduled to speak at Colorado State University before he was shot and killed at Utah Valley University last week.
The event was part of the American Comeback Tour, where Kirk planned to visit college campuses across the country. His widow, Erika Kirk, announced the national tour will continue despite his assassination.
Turning Point USA was set to host Kirk’s famed “Prove Me Wrong” open mic discussion on campus, but will now host a vigil from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at CSU’s Canvas Stadium. Gates open at 5 p.m.
Ahead of Thursday, students who spoke with CPR News offered differing perspectives on the memorial. Nick Nye, a freshman at CSU from California, said Turning Point USA has the right to host a memorial for a prominent figure in American politics but wasn’t sure why it was occurring on a college campus.
“The memorial is a different incentive and a different agenda than coming to speak and give perspective and have open debate,” he said. “I feel like it is just hosting a different event than what was scheduled, which I think is a little contradictory.”
“I will not be attending and will probably be leaving campus as soon as I'm done with my business,” a junior from Minnesota, who requested anonymity for their safety, told CPR News. “I'd rather not interact with the crowd that would probably show up for Charlie Kirk.”
Multiple corresponding events are also taking place on and around campus
The CSU chapter of Political Review will host an event titled “The Unf*** America Tour: For free speech. Against political violence” at 6:30 p.m. — immediately following the vigil — at the CSU Lory Student Center Ballroom.
“Our goals of the club are to create a space where people can come and disagree about politics and it's going to be okay at the end of the day — even though we disagree,” Victoria Doscotch, co-president of political review and a CSU senior, told CPR News. “With the most public assassination of our generation, we thought that this would really be the right time for us to step up in some capacity and try to foster another space for this to continue."
Several non-student groups are expected to hold memorials in the same area of the vigil.
Security details
In a statement, CSU spokesperson Tiana Kennedy said that the university worked with state and national law enforcement agencies to prepare for today’s events.
"CSU's top priority is the safety of our students and the community," CSU Interim Police Chief Stacey Clement said in the statement. "In these instances, we are coordinating with law enforcement partners to provide secure venues for external events that will allow our students, faculty, staff and visitors to exercise their First Amendment rights in the safest environment we can provide."
Kennedy also stated that both events will have “typical game-day security requirements,” which involve a “clear-bag policy” and magnetometers at facility entrances.
The university said that it proactively reached out to student and external groups to ask them to move their events to campus spaces to allow for increased security.
The statement outlines that both events will have a clear-bag policy, but the debate event details specify that no bags will be allowed at all. The Lory Student Center has bag storage at the venue.
A Loveland man was recently arrested for burning a resident’s private memorial in Loveland honoring Kirk, as well as throwing a rock through the rear window of the resident’s vehicle. Officers arrested 64-year-old David Hunt Gilroy and charged him with second-degree arson and resisting arrest.
Kirk, known for going viral online when debating attendees at his “Prove Me Wrong” table, was kicking off a 15-date tour when he was gunned down at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, on Sept 10.
After a 33-hour manhunt, Tyler Robinson was turned in by a family member and booked into the Utah County Jail. The 22-year-old is facing aggravated murder and other charges in connection with the shooting. Utah Governor Spencer Cox said prosecutors will seek the death penalty.
Kirk’s occurred minutes after the shooting at Evergreen High School, in Evergreen, Colo.
