CARMEL, N.Y.—On the evening of Saturday, Sept. 13, the steps of the Putnam County Historic Courthouse were adorned with flower bouquets, cardboard signs, votives and a large photo of Charlie Kirk with his wife and children.
A crowd of more than 100 people stood under a gloomy, drizzling sky to say prayers, offer comfort and acknowledge their grief over Kirk’s death. The conservative commentator and activist was assassinated while speaking at a college event in Utah on Wednesday.
Several members of the crowd held back tears, while others were visibly emotional.
Jake D’Angelo, a candidate for Putnam County legislator and one of the organizers of the event, said the vigil came together quickly as information spread over Facebook and word of mouth.
He said it felt important to come together as a community to mourn Kirk.
“You haven’t seen something like this happen in our country in a very long time. And I think no matter what your partisanship is, the fact that somebody can get assassinated for political reasons and practicing freedom of speech, I think it speaks to a very dark day,” D’Angelo said.
Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne gave a statement on the vigil, saying, “This recent vigil is another powerful example of how concerned citizens—not government—spontaneously joined together to defend ideas and lift up their community in a time of great loss.”
“They exercised their First Amendment rights responsibly and peacefully, as Charlie Kirk inspired so many to do,” Byrne added.
Byrne thanked D’Angelo, Joe Cunningham and the others who volunteered their time and resources to pay tribute to Kirk and his legacy.
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