Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
Roughly 60 people gathered in the evening hours of Friday, Sept. 12, at Holiday Park in Rainier to honor the life of Charlie Kirk with a candlelight vigil — just two days after he was assassinated at Utah Valley University.
Kirk, a conservative political activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, toured the United States and visited an abundance of universities with a goal of hosting effective and respectful open forums.
During a stop at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday, Sept. 10, Kirk was hosting another open forum with students at the college and was assassinated in an act of political violence. The alleged shooter was identified as Tyler Robinson, but only after his father turned him in. Robinson is being held in Utah County Jail without bail.
The candlelight vigil was organized by Rainier resident Peyton Henry, who told the Nisqually Valley News prior to the event that Kirk’s online videos and discussions about religion and morality inspired her to strengthen her relationship with Jesus Christ.
“I’ve seen Charlie’s videos for years now, and as someone who wasn’t quite a follower of Christ, or religious by any means, I have always felt pulled toward something bigger than me. I was never taught what that was or how to embody it into my life. The more I heard him speak, he was really the first person to invite me into that world and really make that connection towards Christ and God.”
Additionally, Henry said she felt inspired to organize the event in order to present community members who are mourning his loss, including herself, a public setting to grieve and openly discuss Kirk’s impacts. Leading up to the event, she redownloaded social media in an effort to spread the word about the event.
“When I heard the news, I immediately started bawling my eyes out, and a day went by and I was on and off crying. I couldn’t get it out of my head. I started looking around and trying to see if anyone else was holding a vigil. I felt like I needed to grieve this in a deeper way than I could do at home. I looked around and didn’t see anything in our area, Yelm or Tenino. I called my husband and I was like, ‘hey, what do you think about trying to host our own vigil for Charlie Kirk?’ He was all for it,” Henry said. “The response that we’ve been getting has just been amazing. I don’t know how many people we’re expecting tonight, but I’m hoping it’s a good gathering for our little town of Rainier. I think it’s pretty clear that people feel the same way as I do, or else we wouldn’t have gotten a lot of response and also a lot of hate online.”
When asked about America’s current political climate and a possible solution to move forward, Henry said she believes that deep reflection and conversation with one another are two critical steps needed in order for America to grow.
“I think deep reflection is the key. I think some people are capable of it, and some people are not,” Henry said. “The people who are not, the only thing we can do, as people who have that capability and understanding, is show them love and kindness and try to get them to understand and listen. If they can’t at least we were respectful. I think Charlie Kirk embodied it perfectly. I don’t think I can do it better than him, and I don’t even want to try. But if we could follow Charlie Kirk’s footsteps and never let what he was doing die — that’s all we can do. Rainier is our little town, and we love it here. Our little community has a lot of heart and a lot of respect for each other. I hope it remains peaceful tonight, and I hope people who have differentiating opinions than us show up as well — that way we can really embody what Charlie Kirk did with his life. I hope we see that here tonight.”
In the aftermath of Kirk’s assassination, his widow, Erika Kirk, addressed the nation live on multiple platforms and eulogized her husband. Erika vowed that she will never let her late husband’s legacy die. Additionally, she promised to continue her husband’s college tour this fall.
“The evildoers responsible for my husband’s assassination have no idea what they have done. They killed Charlie because he preached a message of patriotism, faith and of God’s merciful love,” Erika said on Friday, Sept. 12. “They should all know this: if you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea. You have no idea what you have just unleashed across this entire country and this world. You have no idea. You have no idea the fire you have ignited in this wife. The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battlecry.
“To everyone listening tonight across America, the movement my husband built will not die. It won’t. I refuse to let that happen. It will not die. All of us will refuse to let that happen. No one will ever forget my husband’s name, and I will make sure of it. It will become stronger, bolder, louder and greater than ever. My husband’s mission will not end — not even for a moment.”
President Donald Trump broke the news about Kirk’s death on Truth Social during the afternoon hours on Wednesday, Sept. 10, and wrote, “The Great, and even legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the heart of the youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you.”
“To my great fellow Americans, I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk at a college campus in Utah. Charlie has inspired millions and tonight, all who knew him are united in shock and horror. Charlie was a patriot who devoted his life to the cause of open debate, and the country he loved so much — the United States of America,” President Trump said in an address from the White House. “He’s a martyr for truth and freedom, and there’s never been anyone who was so respected by youth. Charlie was also a man of deep, deep faith, and we take comfort in the knowledge that he’s at peace with God in Heaven.”
