The Colorado State University chapter of conservative political organization Turning Point USA held a community vigil in Canvas Stadium for former TPUSA President Charlie Kirk Sept. 18. Kirk was shot and killed Sept. 10 during his tour stop to Utah Valley University and was set to visit CSU along his American Comeback Tour the following week.
Citing campus safety concerns, CSU permitted TPUSA to use Canvas Stadium as the event’s venue earlier this week, with law enforcement personnel from across Larimer and Weld counties dispatched to enforce CSU’s gameday parking and security measures.
With over 7,400 community members packed into the eastern sections of the stadium and chants praising Kirk and the United States ringing out frequently, conservative leaders took to the stage to remember Kirk’s enduring contributions to the conservative political movement.
A common rallying point for Kirk’s supporters following his death has been the community’s Christian faith, with supporters vowing to learn from Kirk’s example and continue what they describe as a fight to destroy evil. Andrew Wommack is the founder and president of Andrew Wommack Ministries and was scheduled to host Kirk last week. In his leading of a prayer to begin the vigil, Wommack spoke on the continuing legacy of Kirk’s message.
“Father, we thank you for what you’ve done in the life of Charlie Kirk,” Wommack said. “We thank you that he is still alive and his message is still alive, and it’s going to resonate and grow and become louder than it ever was.”
Hailed as a champion of free speech by his own party and a dangerous political mouthpiece by his opposition, Kirk founded TPUSA in 2012 at the age of 18 to combat what he viewed as political censorship on college campuses and across American culture.
Gabe Saint, the president of University of Wyoming’s TPUSA student chapter, said Kirk’s message will continue to resonate among American youth.
“Charlie was more than the guy who got the president elected, senators elected and congressmen elected,” Saint said. “He was our hero as students on college campuses across the country. (…) Conservatives and Christians were told to be quiet, but Charlie gave us our voice to stand up for what we believe in.”
Echoing Saint’s sentiments and reflecting on his personal experiences with Kirk and TPUSA was influencer Will Witt. Witt attended the University of Colorado Boulder and chronicled his introduction to Kirk’s “common sense” policies and the TPUSA mission. Witt also called on the crowd’s desire for revenge following Kirk’s death, arguing conservatives can find purpose by following Kirk’s example.
“I think revenge, when done in the name of good, is a noble pursuit,” Witt said. “How do we best take our vengeance for these people who hate us, who want to see us dead? We do it through the way we live. (…) Every single day we wake up and say, ‘How can I live a little more like Charlie?’”
The vigil’s speaking lineup concluded with Isabel Brown recalling her experience as a CSU student, subject to what she described as “politicized propaganda and fear tactics.” Brown is now a host with The Daily Wire and attributed Kirk’s personal and professional influences as paramount to her success.
In a more heartfelt tone, Brown recalled personal, fond memories of Kirk to conclude the vigil.
“We are all gathered tonight to mourn this loss together because we didn’t just lose someone we admired, we lost the intellectual and moral leader of an entire generation,” Brown said.
At one point during the speaker lineup, students in attendance were asked to stand, revealing nearly half of the crowd for a round of applause.
“You don’t have to like him, but (Kirk) still had a right to life,” CSU senior Cody Whalen said. “I hope that people can come together and stop these deaths.”
Reach Sam Hutton at news@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.
