After a well-known conservative individual, Charlie Kirk, was shot and killed on September 10, there have been ripples of side effects that have been felt all over the county. Despite the suspect being in custody and having links to the crime, there has been a significant divide across the country.
The suspect, known as Tyler Robinson, has been profiled to be a young, white man, who is not affiliated with a party and is an inactive voter. Despite Robinson having no ties to certain demographics that have been targeted, his identity has been disregarded.
After the murder of Charlie Kirk, the following day Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) received numerous death threats. Multiple HBCU’s, like Hampton University, Alabama State University, Southern University, and more, enforced a lockdown on their campuses to prioritize the safety of their students. Students at these universities speculated whether the threats corresponded to the assassination of Kirk, and whether the people who were sending these threats theorized it was one of them. Despite Charlie Kirk being killed at Utah Valley University, which is not categorized as a HBCU, many are wondering as to why these universities are being pinned the blame.
People have theorized that Kirk’s followers are targeting these universities due to his hateful rhetoric regarding Black people. Kirk is public with his bigotry against many minority groups and has been open about his unique thought processes. His ideals had created a divide amongst the population, some agreeing with his beliefs while others identified it as clear racism.
Another effect that has occurred in the past few weeks are the mass firings of 145 individuals. Individuals who have made comments regarding Charlie Kirk’s assassination, whether it was on social media, verbally, positive or negative, have been handed letters of termination. Those who have been terminated have either had their profiles investigated by their employers or had their profiles submitted for review.
Suzanne Swierc, a woman from Indiana, was fired from her job at Ball State University as the director of health and advocacy. On her private Facebook account, Swierc said, “If you think Charlie Kirk was a wonderful person, we can’t be friends.”
While it is unknown as to who leaked her message, it did not take long for the public to find Swierc’s private information. A page that is known for its hateful content, Libs of TikTok, had posted Swierc’s comment on Charlie Kirk’s character. Afterward, Swierc stated that she received all kinds of phone calls and text messages from unknown numbers, even a voicemail that claimed that she should receive the “same treatment as Charlie.”
The act of submitting a profile to be revised by an employer has been encouraged by our Vice President, JD Vance.
“Call them out, and hell, call their employer.”
The number of firings that have occurred are bound to increase in the future, as many of them are still unaccounted for. Individuals from all occupations have been facing repercussions for their vocalization on the matter, like educators, pilots, and even journalists like Karen Attiah, who was the opinions editor for the Washington Post. Attiah was terminated with the use of an email after working for the Washington Post for 11 years. Attiah stated that she believes she was doing her job as a columnist, using her voice to defend freedom and democracy.
Many people believe there is now a push against freedom of speech and press, especially since Jimmy Kimmel’s Live! show was momentarily taken off the air after his comments on Charlie Kirk’s murder. Kimmel made comments that many people found insensitive, like saying “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish,” regarding Donald Trump changing the subject to the construction of the ballroom when asked about Kirk’s death. Jimmy Kimmel’s show has been put back on the air after much discussion. Once Kimmel’s show aired its first episode back, viewership skyrocketed to 6.2 million viewers. Many tuned in to hear Kimmel’s takes on the situation, and he delivered his opinions outwardly. Kimmel made a point to display clips of Donald Trump speaking on the First Amendment, “If we don’t have freedom of speech, then we just don’t have a free country.”
There were multiple points made to view the contrasts between the freedom of speech and Kimmel’s show being pulled for using his freedom of speech.
During this tumultuous time, many people are on edge and wondering what the future of the country looks like. The debates regarding
Charlie Kirk have not ceased, especially after his notable memorial service. His memorial service was held in Arizona at the State Farm Stadium, which seats 63,000 people. Even after the stadium filled up inside, there were still crowds of people outside the memorial paying their respects. People came to the memorial service to pay their respects for the conservative figure. There were many statements made at the service, along with Charlie’s Kirk’s widowed wife, Erika Kirk, saying she forgives Tyler Robinson.
There has been a divide since Charlie Kirk’s murder, a wave of political violence. Political figures are not the only ones who are being targeted for their ideologies, but also civilians. There has been blame put on the left for “radicalizing” Tyler Robinson. Across the country, many are worried that this new wave of political violence will become more rampant. Individuals are no longer just targeting political figures, but also their followers.