Residents hold Candlelight Vigil in Milpitas for Charlie Kirk

Photo by The Milpitas Beat

By Eric Shapiro October 2, 2025

Last night, October 1, from 6pm to 9:30pm out front of Milpitas City Hall, a group of residents gathered for a candlelight vigil for Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA who was fatally shot on September 10 during a public speaking engagement in Utah. The vigil was planned by citizens and not hosted or endorsed by the city government.

Kirk, age 31, suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the throat when shot by Tyler James Robinson, age 22. Kirk left behind a wife and two young children. 

Several dozen residents were on hand for the vigil. Photos of Kirk were displayed amid candles as attendees took turns sharing remarks of sadness and respect into a microphone. Many speakers echoed the sentiment that Kirk stood for free speech, saying that Americans have to learn to speak openly about their differences and settle them peacefully.

But Kirk’s identity in American society is split. Those on the right frame him as a free speech champion, a man known for going onto college campuses and engaging in open dialogue on topics that many go out of their way to avoid. Since his passing, though, many liberal and leftist Americans have highlighted statements Kirk made and sentiments he held that stood out as regressive, racist, sexist, or antisemitic. Kirk was, and is, a lightning rod for America’s culture war: what his supporters see as free speech, his detractors see as hate speech. Across social media after Kirk’s murder, some left-wing voices celebrated or mocked the incident, leading to many people being fired.

Photo by The Milpitas Beat

At the event, Milpitas resident Victor San Vicente said to The Milpitas Beat, “I am a fan of Charlie Kirk. He speaks the truth. He does research on every answer…And he tries to speak the truth as much as possible.” San Vicente didn’t even liken Kirk’s stances to conservatism: “I think he was independent,” Vicente said, “because he was a person of the Bible, a person of faith, a person of moral stature. This is why I was impressed with him, because he was for neither party. He just wanted to stand up for America and American values.”

Carol Pefley, who’s running to represent CA Assembly District 28 in the next election, spoke of a recent local political occurrence when it was her turn at the mic: 

“Yesterday,” said Pefley, “I was with the County Board of Supervisors, with a group of people. We formed a proclamation and a resolution condemning political violence and asking the County Board of Supervisors to recognize October as Free Speech Month, where kids at school can learn about free speech – learn about having dialogue and solving issues and problems with dialogue instead of with violence. They did not accept the resolution.” 

She continued, “They’re busy passing all kinds of other stuff that singles out different communities and people who they feel are marginalized in communities, but free speech is for all of us. And stopping political violence is beneficial to all of us. It’s not one group of people. We all have a voice and we should all be able to say what we think, and to be able to debate with people and speak with people without having to worry about losing our life over it.”

The climate around Charlie Kirk’s death is emotionally intense, with ongoing debate about who he was and what he stood for raging on social media for nearly a month now. On The Milpitas Beat’s Facebook page, when photos from the vigil were posted, one user commented, “Why?! He encouraged violence.” Another chimed in, “Bigots are loving not having to hide anymore.” Many defended Kirk and the vigil; many others poked fun at both.

When Milpitas resident Albert Alcorn took the mic at the vigil, he recalled when he first saw Charlie Kirk speaking online: “I’m like, man, I agree with everything this guy says,” Alcorn said. “He was speaking truth, he was speaking peace, and he was speaking peaceful dialogue between people of different backgrounds, different opinions. And so that’s what I just loved about him.” 

Alcorn went on to share how he’d recently communicated across the aisle, making peace with a liberal friend who holds drastically different views and opinions from his own. Following his story, Alcorn said, “And so we’ve got at least one person that I’m able to dialogue with now because of the inspiration Charlie Kirk gave me.”

The candlelight vigil unfolded peacefully. Occasionally, a passing car gave a honk, though there were no clear signs of approval or disapproval from those not in attendance. Over by the roadside, as the sun went down, Milpitas resident Larry Ciardella held a sign urging passersby to Vote No on Prop 50. Ciardella didn’t know much about Charlie Kirk, but he did have strong feelings about his passing:

“The reason I am here is because, you know, Charlie had a dad,” Ciardella said. “His dad lost his son. I lost my son, too. Thirty-some-odd years ago. He was 18 years old.”