Around 30 people at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus attended a candlelight vigil to mourn Kirk, three days after he was shot and killed
Photo by Irena Mesa | The Crow’s Nest
By Jasmin Parrado
After conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an event at a Utah university, college and university campuses across Florida have gathered to mourn him and address broader concerns of political violence and critical discourse in the nation.
On Sept. 12, the University of South Florida St. Petersburg’s Turning Point USA chapter held a candlelight vigil in the University Student Center ballrooms in memory of Kirk, who was the organization’s executive director.
The vigil was held two days after Kirk was shot while answering students’ questions at Utah Valley University during his “American Comeback” tour. The tour began in February, with its first stop being USF.
“Tonight, we gather to remember a legend who has had a significant impact on us all,” said Emma Cochran, president of the USF St. Petersburg chapter, during the vigil. “Charlie once said that when his time came, he wanted to be remembered for his unwavering faith. So, tonight, that’s what we’re going to do.”
Garnering around 30 attendees, the vigil included an in-memoriam video of Kirk’s impact as Turning Point USA’s prominent leader, followed by a video of Erika Frantzve, his wife of five years, recounting how she first met him.
Initially, the vigil was set to be held at Harbor Lawn, but was moved inside for “safety purposes,” according to an announcement made on the organization’s Instagram story.
Posters denoting policies Kirk often cited or endorsed lined the back row of the venue, from anti-socialism and energy independence slogans to iterations of the Gadsden flag.
Attendees were given the opportunity to speak on their personal experiences with Kirk and his impact on their lives, referencing biblical verses that resonated with their reflections.
“We are Charlie Kirk; we are Turning Point,” said one of the attendees during the vigil. “It doesn’t end with him – it starts with him. His death is the beginning of what we’re going to carry on, to be a movement far beyond a dark day like this.”
On Sept. 15, more than 1,000 guests attended another vigil held on the USF Tampa campus for Kirk, citing worries for future violence fueled over partisan conflicts. Several university vigils across the state have joined USF in mourning Kirk, including the University of Florida, Florida Atlantic University and the University of Central Florida.
New College of Florida also announced on X that it will commission a statue of Kirk in his honor.
Following Kirk’s death, the USF Tampa College Democrats and Republicans released a joint statement on Instagram declaring their shared condemnation of his assassination.
“We affirm the importance of civility, unity and mutual respect in political discourse,” the Sept. 12 post read. “Disagreements are natural in a democracy, but we must never allow differences of opinion to turn into acts of hatred or harm.”
Kirk’s assassination has sparked intense conversations around instigations of political violence and risks of harm surrounding First Amendment rights. The day after his death, three historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) were forced to go under lockdowns and cancel classes in wake of threats they received.
Additionally, USF President Rhea Law shared a memo by Ray Rodrigues, the state chancellor of the State University System of Florida, in a university-wide email on Sept. 17.
“However, while the right to free expression is paramount it is not absolute. Celebrating or excusing campus violence—and in this case, the murder of Charlie Kirk— by members of our university system will not be tolerated,” Rodrigues stated in the memo. “Such behavior is abhorrent, has the deleterious effects of breeding further violence and undermines efforts to promote civil discourse.”
Law affirmed in the email that USF would not tolerate expressions celebrating or excusing Kirk’s death.
Rodrigues’ memo follows a larger trend of monitoring and punishing certain sociopolitical discourse. Numerous companies and academic institutions have reportedly fired employees for social media posts and statements interpreted by similar criteria.
Those who have been discharged or investigated argue that they face a double standard, as Kirk and his supporters were known to affirm their rights to free speech without facing substantial institutional conflict, while debating in favor of ideologies deemed xenophobic, misogynistic and racist by opposing advocates.
A day after Kirk’s death, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson was taken into custody as the prime suspect in his death. Utah prosecutors revealed that Robinson allegedly confessed in text messages with his roommate.
Robinson currently faces seven charges, including aggravated murder, obstruction of justice and felony discharge of a firearm.
