ELYRIA, Ohio – A prayer vigil for Christian and political activist Charlie Kirk was held in downtown Elyria on Sunday night.
Krik, 31, was shot and killed last week while speaking on a college campus in Utah.
Memorials have sprouted up across the country, including this one in Lorain County, organized by Valerie Gonzalez.
“I believe he was simply unheard on college campuses. “I believe he was a voice for everyone, both old and young,” Gonzalez said.
She told Fox 8 that she searched social media for a local memorial but couldn’t find one, so she created one herself.
She also mentioned that she and her husband were pleasantly surprised by the turnout.
Gonzalez said some people were initially concerned about security, but they had a good plan in place after the county sheriff’s department and Elyria police contacted her to help coordinate.
Gonzalez hopes that with dozens in the square downtown singing Amazing Grace, cheering for speakers, and praying, people will take one thing from Kirk’s life and emulate it.
“His first step was to respond rather than react, because reacting is emotional. Then his response was to pause, really listen, and respond to the person rather than the question, which I admired about him,” she explained.
Many attendees also discussed how people should not be afraid to express their religious beliefs or views.
“No one should be shot. Penny Rockwell said that putting down their phone and having a conversation with someone about a disagreement should not cost them their life.
“Nobody deserves to die just to express their emotions, you know? “This is supposed to be a country of free speech, and he was silenced for it,” Pete Tschaekofske stated.
Kirk’s nonprofit Turning Point USA has scheduled a memorial for next weekend in Glendale, Arizona.
