County officials in Texas pulled the plug on renaming a road to honor slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk after pushback from locals.
After Kirk, 31, was shot dead at Utah Valley University in September last year, he was immediately lionized by the right, despite his polarizing politics.
This was the case in Bastrop County in Central Texas, where a motion was tabled to designate a portion of FM 969 the “Charlie Kirk Corridor.”
The plan for the road, which is about 30 minutes east of downtown Austin, was shelved after over 100 locals showed up to voice their disapproval.
Bastrop County Commissioner David Glass had claimed that “Kirk’s activism emphasized civic participation, free speech, and political engagement among youth, building a national network of student activists and influencing political discourse on college campuses and beyond.”
But, as word spread about the potential re-designation, people assembled at the commissioners meeting on Monday with cardboard signs with “NO” written on them.
Glass also told The Austin American-Statesman that he had received hordes of emails about the motion over the weekend.
“I’m going to take a breath and have some more conversations with my constituents,” he told the title, before changing his tune in a follow-up email where he declared that he was not planning on resubmitting the renaming resolution.
“Not all of us are going to agree, but we can agree to disagree,” said Glass. “I absolutely don’t agree with everything Charlie Kirk said.”
The Statesman also reported that those who voiced their objections were treated to applause. “We need to start promoting equality, we need to start loving each other,” resident Sumai Lokumbe said.
Lokumbe urged officials to name the road portion after someone who did something for the Bastrop community.
Dock Jackson, the Democratic candidate for county judge, added, “Charlie Kirk, to my knowledge, has no relatives or connection to Bastrop County, I do not feel the court should pass a resolution endorsing this street name change.”
“Charlie Kirk was one of the most polarizing figures in politics,” said Ruth Todd. “Naming a road in his honor does not unite the community... it sends a message to a significant portion of our community that their comfort in their home county does not matter.”
