Thousands of people gathered in Orem Thursday night to remember right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk on the anniversary of his death.
Now known across the country as the location of Charlie Kirk’s death, Utah Valley University hosted a memorial on Thursday to mark one year after the tragedy on their campus. Called “Freedom Built to Last,” the vigil was organized by Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit organization founded by Kirk in 2012.
The UCCU Center was filled with Kirk’s colleagues, friends, and supporters. Many attendees wore a white shirt with the word “Freedom” on it, similar to the shirt Kirk wore when he died.
Andrew Kolvet, the chief field officer for Turning Point USA, spoke about his friendship with Kirk.
“We did not come back to rehearse a crime scene," Kolvet said. "We came back because Charlie Kirk represented the best of us. … Why do we gather here in this arena on this day, on this campus? Because this is where they tried to end him. … We refuse to let the last word be a gunshot.”
Caleb Chilcutt, former TPUSA chapter leader at UVU and current field representative for Utah and Idaho, talked about the aftermath of Kirk’s death.
“We did not let the worst act I have ever seen become an excuse to treat our neighbors … as enemies to be dehumanized in return," Chilcutt said. "That restraint was the hardest kind of courage there is.”
Glenn Beck, CEO of Mercury Radio Arts and conservative political commentator, traveled from Florida to speak at the memorial.
“How many of us said ‘I am Charlie Kirk?’," Beck asked. "What it meant was that you would dedicate your life to learning and living and loving and speaking the truth when and where it needs to be spoken. … Charlie was murdered, that was the action. … You are the equal and opposite reaction.”
Near the end of the service, a life-sized statue of Kirk by Stan Watts was unveiled by Sage Lloyd, the university’s TPUSA chapter president. The organization has yet to reveal where it will be placed.
Not everyone was there to honor Kirk, however. During the vigil inside, others protested outside the center.
The protest was led by Chase Barrett, a current student at UVU, and Collin Grannis, who graduated from the university over the summer.
Barrett said he is concerned about UVU memorializing what many students describe as traumatic, including for him. Barrett said he skipped classes to debate Kirk and was in line when he was shot.
“Primarily what we hope to gain is letting the UVU administration know that we are not welcoming to Charlie Kirk events here on campus," Barrett said, "and as well as that we want to express that we do not want a permanent memorial here.”
Grannis said he noticed a shift on campus after the shooting.
“It's really sad to see that the courtyard where it happened being devoid of people," Grannis said. "It's a spot where a lot of people have some very intense trauma. … Will something like that happen to me? … The vibe of campus was just very anxious and very very tense.”
While the protest remained peaceful, several heated debates broke out concerning Kirk’s past statements on the Civil Rights Act and misogynistic claims. Paul Miller, a South Ogden resident and supporter of Kirk, approached the protesters to defend Kirk.
“I heard on Twitter that there was going to be some anti-Charlie Kirk protesters at the Charlie Kirk Memorial," Miller said, "so I was like, well, I need to go down there and try and educate these people on Charlie Kirk… I'm here to just talk civilly with people … I don't want any violence. I just want to talk ideas.”
Hours before the memorial, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox declared Sept. 10 “Charlie Kirk Day” to honor Kirk.
