By Kelsey Landis
Copyright stltoday
Kelsey Landis | Post-Dispatch
ALTON — Fans of conservative activist Charlie Kirk rallied in downtown Alton Saturday morning as protesters gathered across the street, but the events remained peaceful with one person even extending kindness to the other side.
Dozens of Kirk supporters, wearing white shirts, lined Piasa Street. High school student Ethan Flanigan, of Bethalto, said he came with his family to show support for Kirk, who was shot to death Sept. 10 while speaking with students at Utah Valley University.
Flanigan said he had watched videos of Kirk on social media, and respected him for thinking differently. He hopes Kirk’s legacy inspires civility among Americans.
“I think that we just keep going and try to be better people,” Flanigan said.
Prosecutors brought a murder charge Tuesday against the man accused of assassinating Kirk, the 31-year-old right-wing activist who mobilized thousands of young voters, and helped fuel President Donald Trump’s campaign and the Make America Great Again movement.
Cindy Cheely, of Edwardsville, said she heard Kirk speak a few years ago in St. Louis and started watching videos of his appearances on college campuses. She believes Kirk inspired young people to embrace Christianity.
“Now that I’ve been watching his debates, I see what an impact he had on college campuses, and the courage he had given those kids and helping them,” Cheely said.
Across East Broadway, dozens of protesters gathered in the square where Abraham Lincoln debated Stephen Douglas in 1858.
Protesters gather there every Saturday morning to protest Trump and the Republican Party’s policies, said Lisa Bledsoe Ervin, of Hillsboro, Illinois, who often makes the hour-long drive to Alton to take part. At their latest protest, some also criticized Kirk.
“I totally do not condone what happened to him,” Bledsoe Ervin said. “But on the other hand, Charlie Kirk preached for that kind of stuff.”
Lee Barham, of Alton, stood squarely on the corner of East Broadway and Piasa watching the Kirk supporters across the street. He knows some of them, Barham said, and was surprised to see them supporting Kirk, whose speech was racist and hateful, Barham said.
“What they are standing for is hatred,” Barham said. “That’s all he was. He fueled hate.”
Despite strong feelings on both sides of the street, the rally and protest remained peaceful and attendees acknowledged each other’s right to be there.
“It’s their right to be there, and they’re not bothering me and I’m not bothering them,” Bledsoe Ervin said.
As the Kirk rally wound down around noon, one supporter crossed the street to offer leftover cold water to protesters.
“We may not agree, but everybody’s got to have water,” said J. Smith, of Springfield.
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Kelsey Landis – 314-340-8304 klandis@post-dispatch.com
