"Two months after conservative advocate Charlie Kirk's assassination during a tour stop at a Utah university, his organization, Turning Point USA, will conclude its American Comeback Tour at UC Berkeley on Nov. 10 with heightened security. Turning Point USA is a nonprofit organization that seeks to promote conservative values on high school and college campuses. It was co-founded by Kirk and his late mentor, Bill Montgomery, in 2012. The Berkeley stop will be Turning Point USA's first event at a California college campus since Kirk was fatally shot on Sept. 10. Kirk's killing has intensified concerns about political violence and renewed debate over how universities balance security and free speech."
"The issue has become personal for John Paul Leon, junior and president of Berkeley's Turning Point USA chapter, which was established in 2019. He began preparing for Kirk's anticipated visit months before his death. (We've) been wanting Charlie for a long time, Leon said. I've been planning this since June It's been a lot of work, but it's definitely worth it. Leon knew Kirk personally; he had met the conservative activist several times and even had breakfast with him at a Student Action Summit in Tampa Bay, Florida, over the summer, where they talked about Epstein, Israel and dating. RELATED: University of California students, professors and staff sue the Trump administration He described the day Kirk was killed as possibly the craziest day of my college experience. The Berkeley chapter had planned to announce Kirk's visit to campus that night. As I was spreading the word, I got sent the video of the shooting, Leon said. My first reaction was that has to be AI, no way,' it was just completely tragic to see. Leon and his club still gathered that night, but instead of the celebration he had expected to have hours earlier, they held a last-minute vigil where conservative leaders spoke in Kirk's honor."
Turning Point USA will conclude its American Comeback Tour at UC Berkeley on Nov. 10 with heightened security following Charlie Kirk's September assassination at a Utah university stop. The nonprofit, co-founded by Kirk and Bill Montgomery in 2012, promotes conservative values on high school and college campuses. Berkeley will host the organization's first California campus event since Kirk was fatally shot. The killing raised concerns about political violence and reignited debate over how universities balance security and free speech. John Paul Leon, a junior and Berkeley chapter president, had planned Kirk's visit since June and helped organize a vigil after the shooting video circulated.
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