ST. CHARLES COUNTY — A group of St. Charles County Councilmen are sponsoring a resolution focused on the “life and legacy” of Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was shot and killed earlier this month.
The two-page document states that “political violence of any kind against anyone must be condemned.”
The resolution also mentions Minnesota Speaker of the House Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who with their dog were shot and killed in their home in Minneapolis in June.
Also injured in a separate shooting that night were Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffmann, and his wife, Yvette. Authorities say that Vance Boelter, disguised as a law enforcement official, targeted the two families because they were high-profile Democrats in the state legislature.
The resolution “condemning political violence and honoring free speech and civil debate,” is sponsored by five county councilmembers: Matt Swanson, R-Wentzville; Joe Brazil, R-Defiance; Mike Elam, R-Dardenne Prairie; Dave Hammond, R-O’Fallon and Tim Baker, R-Weldon Spring.
People are also reading…
If approved, St. Charles County staff will send a “certified copy” of the resolution to Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, and to Turning Point USA, the conservative activist group that he co-founded in 2012. As a leader of that organization, Kirk rose to prominence touring college campuses and staging debates on topics such as gun control, abortion rights, LGBTQ rights and other issues.
The resolution does not mention sending copies to the other victims of political violence.
The St. Charles County resolution comes days after the ӣƵ County Council rejected a similar resolution honoring Kirk, who was shot while speaking at Utah Valley University. The ӣƵ County NAACP opposed that resolution, with its president, John Bowman, describing Kirk as someone who “undermined civil rights, dismissed the struggles of marginalized communities, disrespected African-American women and spread division.”
While officials from both parties condemned his death, some Americans, including some teachers in the ӣƵ area, have been fired or placed on leave for social media posts that were critical of Kirk’s statements and legacy.
But Elam, one of the resolution’s authors in St. Charles County, said he hopes residents and his fellow councilmembers will not oppose the resolution because they may have disliked what Kirk said or embraced as the leader of Turning Point USA.
“I’m asking people to not focus on what Charlie Kirk or his message,” he said. “Instead, I’m hoping that they will reflect on all of the political shootings that we’ve had over the past few years and realize that we have to say ‘enough is enough.’”
He pointed to the Jan. 8, 2011 shooting of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, a Democrat from Tucson, Arizona, and the June 2017 shooting of Congressman Steve Scalise, a Republican from Louisiana, as other reasons he believes the resolution should be passed.
“We have to say that political violence against anyone, regardless of their beliefs or political party, is wrong,” he said. “And it has to stop.”
The St. Charles County Council meets at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 29.
