A vigil for Charlie Kirk will be held at the Performing Arts Center (PACSLO) at Cal Poly on Monday night, with security among the top priorities for the event.
On September 10, conservative political activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, was killed on the campus of Utah Valley University. The next day, Nina Spinello, the president of Turning Point's SLO County Activism Hub, began organizing a memorial service.
“Overall, that's the goal of this event to begin with — unity in a time of suffering and a bigger picture and that is coming together in light of a tragedy," Spinello said.
Multiple partners are helping put on the event, including the TPUSA Cal Poly Chapter and Active Church, which had experience dealing with large crowds when they operated out of the Fremont Theater.
“We want to, number one, we want to make sure that people feel safe, they feel respected," said Adam Magana, Lead Pastor of Active Church. "We want to make sure that people feel comfortable coming in, knowing that this is going to be a peaceful, Christ-centered vigil, that we're going to honor the life of Charlie Kirk.”
As for safety, Spinello says Cal Poly Police will be present outside, with additional law enforcement and volunteer security throughout the inside of the Performing Arts Center.
In a statement via email, Cal Poly spokesperson Matt Lazier said, “The safety of our campus community is always a top priority. The university is working closely with the TPUSA chapter to ensure their event proceeds safely, and departments across campus are prepared to provide support to maintain the safety and wellbeing of event participants and the broader campus community.”
Spinello says the event is non-partisan and that anyone is welcome.
“I encourage everybody to come to this event. This event is not geared for one particular group or one particular affiliation. It's a community event.”
The event is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday, September 29. Spinello says they hope to have 1,000 people in attendance.
