DENVER (KDVR) — Turning Point USA is planning a vigil at Colorado State University to honor its late CEO and co-founder Charlie Kirk on the day he was scheduled to visit campus before he was fatally shot last week.
The conservative activist was leading an event during the first stop on Turning Point USA’s “The American Comeback Tour” at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 when he was shot and killed. Colorado State University was expected to host the second tour stop featuring Kirk on Thursday, Sept. 18.
After the shooting, plans for Turning Point USA’s CSU appearance have changed, and a counter-protest group has also scheduled an event for Thursday.
Here’s a look at what is scheduled on campus Thursday and what to know about security measures in place.
What is confirmed to be happening on campus Thursday?
CSU officials in a Tuesday morning press release confirmed two events are happening on campus Thursday.
Turning Point USA is scheduled to host a vigil for Charlie Kirk Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Canvas Stadium. Gates will open at 5 p.m.
Event listings for memorials and rallies had been circulating online to be at various places on campus Thursday, and the university said several external groups had agreed to move their activities to the Turning Point USA event at Canvas Stadium. More than 3,000 people had responded to one Facebook event page with interest, with more than 500 saying they would be attending.
Additionally, student organization CSU Political Review is hosting a tour that the progressive National Ground Game political action committee started in response to Turning Point USA and its tour. That event is scheduled for Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Lory Student Center Ballroom.
Security at the events
University officials in Tuesday morning’s press release said they asked organizers for Thursday’s events to move the events to locations that could provide better security options and that the university is working with local, state and national law enforcement.
“CSU’s top priority is the safety of our students and the community,” CSU Interim Police Chief Stacey Clement said in the press release. “In these instances, we are coordinating with law enforcement partners to provide secure venues for external events that will allow our students, faculty, staff and visitors to exercise their First Amendment rights in the safest environment we can provide.”
Both events will operate under CSU’s typical game-day security requirements, the university said, including a clear-bag policy and the use of magnetometers to enter facilities. CSU’s campus will also operate as normal on Thursday.
What were “The American Comeback Tour” events scheduled for CSU?
Turning Point USA’s website still lists CSU’s two Thursday events, the “Prove Me Wrong” table and the evening event, on the tour stops, with a countdown for the first one still active.
The ticket sites for both events are no longer accessible, however.
In the wake of the deadly Sept. 10, Kirk’s widow Erika Kirk vowed the tour would continue this fall and that she would keep Kirk’s movement going. So far, though, the organization has not detailed how the tour would continue.
CSU President on campus events
CSU President Amy Parsons in a letter to the community Monday acknowledged Kirk’s previously expected appearance on campus and called his death “tragic.”
“Charlie Kirk was scheduled to speak at CSU this week, alongside several other speakers from various ideological persuasions,” Parsons said. “Mr. Kirk’s life was cut short in an act of violence on another university campus in Utah, a shocking event that demonstrates the severity of the nation’s polarization and the urgency of our work.”
Parsons said it has been the mission of the university to bring diverse voices across the political and cultural ideological spectrum to campus and expects more events soon.
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