California Conservatives Hold Vigils for Charlie Kirk Following Utah Shooting
SAN FRANCISCO,CA – september 13,2025 – From San Francisco’s Noe Valley Park to planned events in Los Angeles County,California conservatives are mourning the death of Charlie Kirk,the 31-year-old founder of the conservative youth association Turning Point,who was shot and killed while speaking at a Utah university. Vigils and memorial events are being held across the state, drawing attendees from various Republican organizations and individuals.
Approximately 80 people gathered Saturday afternoon in Noe Valley Park for a memorial hosted by the San Francisco County Republican Party, featuring prayers, eulogies, and placards promoting dialog. Police officers observed the event from a distance, according to reports from the San Francisco Standard.
Further south, the Ventura County Republican committee is organizing a “Light in the Darkness” vigil Monday night at 6:30 p.m. at Walnut Grove at tierra Rejada Farms in Moorpark. Organizers anticipate hundreds of attendees. Richard Lucas III, chair of the Ventura county Republican party, stated Kirk “plainly spoke the truth on issues…making himself near and dear to so manny people,” including stances on the 2nd Amendment and the beginning of life. He expects the vigil to include prayers, the Pledge of Allegiance, and expressions of grief. “Pray for peace, pray for love,” Lucas said. “We no political parties don’t always see eye to eye, but any result of violence is unequivocally unacceptable, especially political violence.”
additional vigils have been held or are scheduled in Van Nuys, Beverly hills, Rancho Palos Verdes, and Huntington beach. The los Angeles Republican Party promoted a Sunday online event, “Dignity Over Violence,” hosted by the political depolarization nonprofit Braver Angels.
Kirk was a prominent, though often controversial, figure among conservative groups on college campuses. He frequently made deliberately provocative statements, including calling the Civil Rights Act a mistake and recently tweeting that “Islam is not compatible with western civilization.”
Despite his divisive rhetoric, Kirk’s death has prompted widespread condemnation of the violence.California Governor Gavin Newsom stated he “admired [Kirk’s] passion and commitment to debate” and called his murder “sick and reprehensible.” Even the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a leading Muslim American civil rights organization that frequently enough opposed Kirk’s views, condemned the killing, stating that “the values that led us to oppose many of Mr. Kirk’s stances are the same values that lead us to condemn his murder and reaffirm that political violence is not the answer to even the most hateful rhetoric.”
The shooting has sparked intense online debate, leading some Utah officials to urge people to disengage from social media and “go out and do good in your community.”
