Three Florida jurisdictions have rejected suggestions to rename the road after Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist co-founder of Turning Point USA, where Republicans lionized as martians since the fatal shooting at Utah Valley University on September 10.
Since Kirk’s death, conservatives have been responsible for fueling left-wing rhetoric into something like political violence that claims his life, and his funeral has become a core moment for conservatives.
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have said they are quoting Kirk’s death as justifications to target those they claim. Cracks Left groups and their allies.
At the local level, some conservative politicians are seeking “virtual virtues” by suggesting that the roads be renamed after Kirk, even in places that have no connection to him.
In Escambia County, a Gulf region that includes the city of Pensacola, county commissioner Mike Kohler proposed renaming “Charlie Kirk Way” or “Turning Point USA Road” on North 65th Avenue. But the idea reported at a recent committee meeting that sparked opposition from dozens of residents, including homeowners, educators, clergy and civil rights advocates. Newsweek.
“It’s wrong to name the street after him because you agree with his ideology,” the Rev. Paul Blackmon of First Baptist Church, Ferry Pass, told the commissioner. Blackmon paraphrased Kirk’s controversial remarks about Day and the qualifications of Black pilots, adding, “Is this something like an ideology we want to embrace as a community? I don’t think so.”
“It’s right to have Escambia High School, and that goes back to the racing riots that I returned to the early ’70s,” added community activist Diane Krummel. “And for me, it’s like pulling a scab from a healed wound, like a face slap and an insult to the black community.”
Kohler said he had no intention of angering the black community, calling for broader discussions on political violence and how to honor public figures in a unified way rather than splitting them. Commissioner Lemon was then able to move to attack proposals for renaming names from the agenda.
Meanwhile, on the state’s east coast in Melbourne, Florida, the city council voted for a proposal to rename Cypress Avenue as Charlie Kirk Lane reports Fox Affiliate. wofl.
Melbourne’s vice-mayors, David Neumann and Paul Alfrey, supported the names, but other councillors worried that businesses would block investment and uproar in the area.
“Charlie Kirk didn’t even know where Brevard County was,” city council member Mimi Hanley pointed out.
On Clearwater, Florida’s west coast, City Council member Ryan Cotton proposed rename Court Street in Downtown “Charlie Kirk Way.” He introduced the measure as a nod to First Amendment rights, but none of his colleagues supported the motion to discuss it, reports Florida politics.
Dozens of residents had signed up to speak during public comments, but were told they couldn’t do it because the move wasn’t seconded. After a loud protest from the audience, Mayor Bruce Lecter became tolerant and allowed them to speak.
Most speakers opposed Cotton’s suggestion during an hour of public comments. They have become emotional and shared personal stories of racist vitriol, misogynistic rhetoric, and other harmful ratios they say are perpetuated while Kirk is alive.
Jennifer Griffin denounced cotton for “deification of white hegemony” by attempting to promote Kirk, citing his previous comments on Kirk’s Day and black qualifications in authority positions. “And do you want white supremacy to rule here in Clearwater? I ask you, I ask you,” she said.
However, not all jurisdictions are opposed. In conservative Lake County in Central Florida, Commissioner Anthony Sabatini, a former Congressional candidate and drug show opponent, has introduced a resolution to name the highway after Kirk.
The proposal was passed unanimously 5-0 after two and a half hours of controversial debate in which some residents expressed their opposition. Daytona Beach News Journal.
Sabatini boasted the move, taking anyone who is unashamed in the spotlight to social media on October 1st.
“Our Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway sign is up!” I wrote it on x. “Lake County, Florida, is now the number one local government in the country that named the road after the great Charlie Kirk. Every city and county in America should follow our lead.”
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Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
