Liberty Lake City Council votes against potential Charlie Kirk Day

Liberty Lake will not have an official day honoring the assassinated political activist Charlie Kirk.

The Liberty Lake City Council on Tuesday voted against a proclamation authored by Councilman Jed Spencer to establish a Charlie Kirk Day on Oct. 14. Kirk, founder of conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA, was shot and killed while speaking Sept. 10 in Utah .

Several council members spoke against the proclamation during a discussion that lasted around an hour.

The council voted against passing the proclamation 6-1. Spencer, the author of the proclamation, was the only vote for it.

Some council members didn’t want to discuss the proposal.

Councilwoman Linda Ball moved to not hold a discussion on the proposal, stating that the discussion would not be appropriate because Kirk had no ties to Liberty Lake.

“This man was a podcaster,” Ball said. “I absolutely see no good reason to honor this person. If we want to have a proclamation condemning gun violence and political violence, I’d find that to be more appropriate.”

Other council members voted to discuss the proposal, Councilman Mike Kennedy citing freedom of speech when he encouraged moving forward with discussion.

The proclamation described Kirk as a “passionate advocate for American values,” and said Liberty Lake should recognize Kirk because the city is grounded in a deep sense of “patriotism and civic pride.” The proclamation also cited the importance of faith in shaping city values.

“Charlie Kirk’s work has inspired many across the country, including those within our own city, by encouraging active participation in our democratic process, standing firm in the defense of individual freedoms and promoting the shared values that unite us as Americans,” the proclamation said.

Ball said she did not know who Kirk was before he died, and following his death, she said she has researched what his beliefs were and found them repugnant.

“In this proclamation, Jed, you have he was a passionate advocate for American values,” Ball said. “Whose values? I don’t have the same values as him. I’m not a misogynist, I’m not a racist, I’m not homophobic. So I find that really disingenuous.”

Spencer’s remarks were interrupted twice by locals who dislike Kirk and called him a homophobe. Several locals also spoke out against Kirk during the public comment portion of the council meeting.

“Charlie Kirk, in his death, he was mourned across the world by millions of individuals. He wasn’t a fringe individual, as many of you have accused him of being this evening,” Spencer said. “… I wanted to focus on the fact that people were affected not only by his death, but by the way he treated people and by the way he stood for his values and allowed others to do the same.”

Spencer said he watched hundreds of Kirk’s videos and said people were misrepresenting Kirk’s beliefs.

Councilwoman Annie Kurtz said she spoke with Spencer to discuss possible changes to his proclamation to make it stand against political violence, rather than singling out Kirk’s death. Spencer did not want to alter the proclamation.

“In my opinion, the current proclamation sends a message that only certain voices belong, and I disagree. In the context of current politics, this proclamation reads like a loyalty test, and it does not have a place in city business, and it is not a core function of government,” Kurtz said.

Kurtz went on to say that the hate that exists in the world is not normal.

“As an elected official, I cannot, in good conscience, vote to tacitly align the city of Liberty Lake with increasing divisiveness, calls for civil war and vengeance, vows of retribution or the erosion of free speech protections, particularly in the absence of introspection.”