On the first tour stop since the organization’s CEO was assassinated, more than 7,000 people turned out for Turning Point USA’s vigil for Charlie Kirk on Thursday evening at Colorado State University’s Canvas Stadium.
Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA, died Wednesday, Sept. 10, at an American Comeback Tour event at Utah Valley University and was scheduled to continue the tour at CSU Thursday, but Turning Point USA hosted the vigil instead at the stadium, located at 751 W. Pitkin St. in Fort Collins. Speakers included Will Witt, Heidi Ganahl, Isabel Brown and Andrew Wommack.
Before the vigil started, hundreds of people lined Pitkin Street in front of the stadium, many wearing red, white and blue, America-related and President Donald Trump merchandise. Matt Johnson, who was among some of the first in line, said that he hopes Kirk’s passing is a wake-up call for people to stand up for what they believe in.
“Too many are scared to be harmed by saying I’m on the right or this or that,” said Johnson, who is a Weld County resident. “This has given people time to stand up and say, ‘You know what? I actually believe this and I’m not gonna hide anymore.’”
Archibald Allison, a pastor at Emmaus Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Fort Collins who decided to attend the event after Kirk died, said many of the young people at his church were fans of Kirk.
“They want to talk about what happened. They want to do something,” Allison said. “They want to feel for the family and so many people across the country that are affected.”
A small stage with three images of Kirk in front of a podium and flowers sat vacant as people chanted “U-S-A” waiting for the event to begin. Nearly a fourth of the stadium was filled with CSU students and members of the public by the time the event began.
Former Republican gubernatorial candidate Heidi Ganahl described Kirk as a changemaker for young people, noting Turning Point USA’s chapters and events across college campuses.
“He was a warrior for free speech, unshackled by censorship, for small government, unbowed by a bureaucracy, and for crushing the creeping shadow of collectivism that threatens the American dream today,” she said.
CSU alum Isabel Brown told the audience about how she found Turning Point USA through a targeted Facebook advertisement.
“I was alone, I was isolated, and I was desperate for an outlet to connect with others who shared my Christian conservative worldview,” said Brown , who is also a conservative creator with a Daily Wire show called the Isabel Brown Show and is also the president of CSU’s Turning Point USA chapter.
Following the event at the stadium, the organization National Ground Game on its own Unf–k America Tour hosted a “Prove Me Wrong” style debate, which Kirk was known for and planning on hosting ahead of the evening event at CSU.
Members of National Ground Game, which was created to counter the efforts of Turning Point USA, have been debating Kirk since April, said Executive Director Zee Cohen-Sanchez, and were planning on debating him Thursday. Cohen-Sanchez added that the organization took a lot of inspiration from Kirk and what she called his ability to marry the media with the “ground game” (filming and posting debates on social media).
“I really believe that Charlie was one of, if not the best, political operative of our generation,” she said. “I think that as Democrats, we haven’t put the footwork in to deserve that … hopefully we’ll see the results of that in the next election.”
Ed Ledezma-Moncada, one of the creators on the tour, said that although he never agreed with any of Kirk’s beliefs, he hopes people on both sides of the political spectrum will condemn political violence, including Kirk’s assassination.
“We’re not going to move forward with the country if only one side is condemning it, the right needs to condemn it as well,” he said. “It’s sad what happened to Charlie … I never thought he deserved to die.”
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Heidi Ganahl speaks Thursday during a Turning Point USA Vigil for Charlie Kirk at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. (Jenny Sparks/Loveland Reporter-Herald)
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Heidi Ganahl speaks Thursday during a Turning Point USA Vigil for Charlie Kirk at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. (Jenny Sparks/Loveland Reporter-Herald)
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