"I flew to Phoenix, Arizona, one week and two days after Charlie Kirk was killed in Orem, Utah. I wanted to see the memorial that his grieving organization, Turning Point USA, was holding in the Arizona suburbs. In the last nine days, Charlie Kirk had gone from right-wing celebrity to martyred hero. It felt like something had tipped in our culture, and I thought I might be able to get a better sense of what that thing was if I attended the funeral."
"Thousands of people had left flowers, prayers, songs, Bibles, notes and tears along the street, which was blocked off and guarded by local police. Kirk was from the Chicago suburbs but had found a home in this Sunbelt city, where notorious Sheriff Joe Arpaio had once held sway. MAGA-style politics had an accepted place in local debates here, while suburban sprawl had created an atmosphere friendly to TPUSA's aspirations."
"He said losing Charlie was like losing a friend. He told me Kirk was an inspiration to him, maybe more in death than in life. He recounted an interview he'd seen on YouTube with Kirk's wife, Erika Kirk. "She said that he had never raised his voice at her or the children. Not once, not ever," he said. "Man, that really showed me how I gotta be a better man, a better husband and father, ya know?""
Charlie Kirk died in Orem, Utah, and within nine days his public image shifted from right-wing celebrity to martyred hero. Thousands gathered at Turning Point USA headquarters in southern Phoenix, leaving flowers, Bibles, and notes along a street guarded by police. The Sunbelt setting and local politics provided fertile ground for MAGA-aligned mourning. Mourners treated the site as sacred, talking about God and Kirk together, often avoiding overt political language. Many traveled long distances to attend; some described personal transformations inspired by Kirk's comportment and family testimony. Vigils lasted hours, with rotating mourners expressing grief, faith, and a desire to emulate perceived virtues.
Read at High Country News
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