Why did 200,000+ people go to Glendale to honor Charlie Kirk and attend his memorial? PJ Media was on the ground to interview multiple attendees and hear how Kirk inspired them to carry on his legacy.
While around 100,000 people were able to attend the memorial in the stadium and a nearby arena, including myself, at least as many more, perhaps up to 300,000 people altogether, tried to attend, with many turned away due to lack of capacity. It was a truly inspiring testament to the powerful witness of Charlie Kirk’s life and how his death has made patriots more, not less, dedicated to the cause of freedom for which he gave his life.
A middle-aged woman who brought her children to the memorial said, “The assassination of Charlie Kirk was a sort of crucifixion, an innocent lamb led to slaughter simply because he spoke the truth, and the truth is not welcome in today’s mainstream culture.” She added, “I did not listen to Charlie often, but his brutal public execution shocked me to the core, as it should all Americans. My heart goes out to his lovely wife and children, to his sorrowing parents, and to all those who are trying to save our country and freedom in the West. May all the men of the West rise up as Charlie did!”
Fiona, who is a teenager, said, “I came to this event because I think it’s an important moment in our country’s history.” She emphasized, “Charlie deserves the recognition and the honor, as does his family, and it's just — it was really touching to be out here today and see all the testimonies from his family and his friends.”Related: Building a Legacy: Charlie Kirk’s Memorial
Recent college graduate Conlan framed the memorial in the context of the larger political and societal situation. “I think civilization exists to the extent that language replaces violence, and I think the left increasingly is comfortable with violence as a solution.”He cited the irony of Democrat Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (who has herself used vicious rhetoric against Republicans) saying that we're supposed to resolve our differences at the ballot box. Conlan commented, “And the fact of the matter is, is that ever since Donald Trump came onto the scene, the Democrat Party has been dedicated to resolving their differences everywhere except at the ballot box, because they have an unpopular agenda, and in a representative system of government, having an unpopular agenda will not win you elections, so you have to find alternative methods, and assassination is one of them.”
He ended with, “And I'm glad I came, because… it's a gesture, if you will. It's a symbolic moment that the ascendant power in America — which is the populist right, whether the left or the centrists or the Libertarians like that or not; the ascendant power is the populist right — we are not going to allow the country to devolve into a tit for tat violence game. And the only way you do that is by severely and justly punishing the people who celebrate and promote the violence that we witnessed on September 10.”
One middle-aged man who flew all the way from Michigan with his wife for the memorial, putting off business to do so, hoped to see patriots more unified and determined than ever to stand for America and for religious faith after Kirk’s death, as they were at the memorial. “You have to work toward making that happen,” he said.
An elderly woman told me that she hoped the memorial would send a “unifying” message to patriots, urging us “to come together” and finish the work that Kirk started.
Charlie Kirk is gone, but his work must not die with him. We are all Charlie now.
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