The death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has sparked debates across the nation, and Fort Collins is not an exception.
Last Friday, Sept. 12, a man was seen in the Lory Student Center Plaza holding a sign that said “Charlie Kirk died a hero. Prove me wrong”. The sign refers to Kirk’s many “Prove Me Wrong” debates that he held.
An unidentified man holding a sign that reads “Charlie Kirk died a hero. Prove me wrong” debated students on the CSU Plaza on Friday. Photo by Madison Szpunar.
The sign sparked a lot of debate and many students gathered to argue their opinions with the man holding the sign.
This isn’t the only thing community members are planning. On Sept. 18, Kirk was supposed to come to CSU. Members of the community are holding events on the same Thursday that Kirk was supposed to visit.
The CSU chapter of Turning Point USA will be holding a vigil for Kirk at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Canvas Stadium. The CSU student chapter of Political Review will also be holding an event titled “For free speech. Against Political violence” at 6:30 p.m. in the Lory Student Center. These are the times as of Wednesday afternoon, they are subject to change. Please check with the organizations for the most updated time.
For the vigil at Canvas Stadium, tickets are required for entry. Tickets are free on the TPUSA website. Turning Point USA has also announced multiple people who will be attending the vigil including Heidi Ganahl, Isabel Brown, Will Witt, and Andrew Wommack.
In a press release, Colorado State University said that they are “not affiliated with or endorsing the events or their speakers.” This comes after a series of backlash that the university received when Kirk's visit was first announced.
The same press release emphasized safety concerns where CSU Interim Police Chief Stacey Clement said, “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.”
The university also announced that each event will also be operating similar to the security at game days, where there will be metal detectors and a clear bag policy.
Bailey Borkowski is the station manager at CTV 11 and a journalism student at Colorado State University who focuses on reporting the full and accurate truth and keeping the Fort Collins community informed.