WESTWOOD — Hundreds gathered in Veterans Park on Saturday night, Sept. 20, to mourn conservative activist Charlie Kirk, take their place in a historic moment for conservative identity, and hear calls for peace, unity, and respect in the wake of his Sept. 10 assassination.
The candlelight vigil was hosted by Jamie Gadino and Kristen Pedersen of Westwood, who framed the event as both a remembrance and a call to action. Photographs of Kirk and his family, set off by devotional candles, held focus on a table at the foot of the bandstand, alongside American flags and patriotic bunting, and signs proclaiming “America First Republicans/We Are Charlie.”
Speakers included Westwood Mayor Ray Arroyo, Township of Washington Mayor Peter Calamari, and Legislative District 39’s State Sen. Holly Schepisi and state assemblymen Robert Auth and John Azzariti. Westwood Councilwoman Cheryl Hodges — a Gold Star mother — offered the closing prayer.
Kirk was an activist, entrepreneur, and media personality. He co-founded the conservative organization Turning Point USA in 2012 and was its executive director. He published a range of books and hosted “The Charlie Kirk Show,” a talk radio program. A close ally of President Donald Trump, he was widely credited by political analysts and media outlets with helping carry Trump’s “Make America Great Again” message onto college campuses and into youth culture.
“I’ve never seen anybody capture a group of people like he captured youth. He captured youth, it was incredible,” the president said of Kirk in an interview with Fox News that aired Thursday.
Kirk’s prominence came with deep controversy. He railed against migrants as an “invasion,” cast doubt on climate science as a “hoax,” and pushed for prison time for doctors providing gender-affirming care — stances that endeared him to many conservatives but alienated large swaths of the public.
The Guardian (Sept. 11): described Kirk as “a debate-me bro figure whose campus appearances drew both enthusiastic supporters and vocal opponents.” Supporters hailed the style as fearless truth-telling; opponents saw it as provocation, meant to humiliate rather than persuade.
His killing has been seized upon by Donald Trump and his allies as proof of left-wing extremism. With investigators stressing they have found no evidence tying the accused shooter to any organized group, Trump has nevertheless vowed to brand “antifa” a domestic terror organization and to wield Kirk’s death as justification for a broader crackdown.
“Antifa” is not a formal group but an umbrella term for loosely affiliated activists and the broader tradition of anti-fascist organizing. It has no national leadership structure, headquarters, or membership rolls, and is often described by law enforcement and researchers as more of an ideology than an organization.
‘Humanity vs. insanity’
There was love in this crowd, and there were tears. Gadino, who helped organize the program, described Kirk as a husband, father, and activist whose voice stirred and challenged many. “This isn’t Democrat vs. Republican anymore,” she said. “It’s humanity vs. insanity. It’s good vs. evil.”
The program opened with the pledge of allegiance, leading to benediction by Fr. Diego Navarro Rodriguez of St. Andrew’s Church. He prayed for reconciliation, healing, and dignity for every life, asking that the vigil be “a sign of hope.”
Councilwoman Hodges later closed with a reading from the Book of Joshua: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, for the Lord your God is with you.”
Speakers paced their remarks against the wail of passing trains and emergency sirens. Arroyo acknowledged that Kirk was a polarizing figure, but said that wasn’t the point of gathering. Reading from an email he received from a constituent, Arroyo emphasized that the vigil “shouldn’t be about Charlie’s beliefs or political views. It should be about respecting one another when we disagree, especially when we disagree. It should be about ending violence and building tolerance.”
Arroyo expanded on that theme with a civic and Christian framing: “Attack the idea, not the ideologue,” he said, urging dialogue that is “robust, resolute, but respectful.” He reminded the crowd that the Golden Rule — loving thy neighbor as thyself, doing unto others as you would have them do unto you — is the antidote to hate. “Our safest safe spaces should be in the public square and in the free marketplace of ideas where the script for the future of our country is being written,” Arroyo said. “After 250 years, we mustn’t lose the plot. It is a pragmatic, rational, and especially Christian message…”
Calamari spoke with particular emphasis on young people in the crowd — some on bicycles, and taking photos of Kirk’s portraits — urging them to “carry a little of Charlie in you” and to make a difference in their own communities, even in small ways. He called Kirk irreplaceable for his ability to connect with youth and model civic engagement, and said his death underscored the risks that come with speaking freely.
“Charlie also believed deeply in free speech, so much so that he was willing to die for it,” Calamari said. “No matter what side of an issue you’re on, violence is never the answer. A strong community and a strong democracy depend on our ability to talk, to listen, and to disagree without fear.”
State leaders
Schepisi reflected on how her daughter first alerted their family chat to the news of Kirk’s shooting and how the raw video of the attack underscored the stakes. She pointed to recent assassination attempts and killings across the political spectrum — targeting Donald Trump, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband — as evidence of a “very dangerous trend” of political violence.
Schepisi said Kirk himself had sought to lower the temperature, reaching out to CNN anchor Van Jones the day before he was killed to invite a respectful discussion, and smoothing over a disagreement that drew ire on X and beyond.
Kirk’s pushback, Jones recalled, “sparked an online torrent of racist death threats against me, the likes of which I have rarely seen.”
“Adults need to show the youth of this nation what is right and what is wrong,” Schepisi said. “We can respectfully listen and disagree.”
Auth lauded Kirk’s work on college campuses through Turning Point USA. “He annoyed people, he made people think,” Auth said. He urged young people to be “bigger, braver, more courageous” and declared, “The tour must go on.”
Azzariti framed his tribute around the principle of free speech, calling it the cornerstone of American democracy. He said Kirk exemplified that ideal by engaging openly with tough issues and opponents alike. He warned that intolerance and anger are pulling families and communities apart, and urged colleges to resist indoctrination and instead foster real debate.
“Respect doesn’t mean agreement,” Azzariti said, “it means seeing the humanity in those with whom we differ.” He closed by urging the crowd to choose unity over division, love over hate, and to honor Kirk’s legacy by treating one another with dignity.
The program included patriotic music, candles shared and held aloft, and a group singing of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.”
In the broader context…
Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed Sept. 10 while addressing students at Utah Valley University. He was 31. Countless vigils have been held across the country since then, with several taking place in New Jersey this weekend.
Events ranged from Whitehouse Station to Wildwood, with gatherings also in Toms River, Woodbine, Cedar Grove, and Vernon. Kirk’s memorial funeral service is Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. President Trump is expected to speak. The service will begin at 11 a.m. local time (2 p.m. Eastern) and will be livestreamed.
In the wake of her husband’s assassination, Erika Kirk has assumed leadership of Turning Point USA, stepping in as chief executive officer and chair of the board. The organization said Charlie Kirk had previously expressed that he wanted his wife to guide the movement if anything happened to him. Erika Kirk, a former Miss Arizona USA with degrees in political science, law, and Christian leadership, vowed to continue her husband’s vision, telling supporters that his mission “will not die — it will become stronger, louder, and greater than ever before.”
