HEBER CITY, Utah — Residents gathered in Heber City Park Saturday night for a vigil for Charlie Kirk after he was shot and killed at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
“It was a huge wake-up call, because this tragedy was felt worldwide, and it happened 30 minutes away from our home,” said organizer and Heber resident Bridget Whiting.
It has sparked a lot of discussions about safety, especially on college campuses where the shooting occurred.
Fellow organizer and Heber resident Sharlay Bonner used to go to school at UVU and thinks the security is slim.
“There's no security at all,” Bonner said. "These kids in college campuses... they're sitting ducks. There's no protection for them.”
Bonner said with how heated the political climate is, it makes her scared for her children to go to school.
“I have a son who's a senior in high school. He's looking at colleges, deciding where he wants to go. It makes me not even want to send him. It makes me just want to completely back away from that. Our kids aren't even safe going to school because of the rhetoric that’s being put out, this hate, this division,” Bonner said.
Whiting believes students should feel safe having these open conversations on college campuses.
“We should feel safe to be able to have debates,” she said. "Maybe more security on grounds, people up on buildings.”
In the meantime, Bonner said she wants to see major change when it comes to how divided the parties currently are.
“We have to come together, realize we're all humans. We're going to disagree with each other. That doesn't mean we need to bring violence into it,” she said.
Salt Lake Community College released the following statement about postponing events for the rest of September:
"In the wake of the tragic event that occurred this week at UVU, Salt Lake Community College will postpone bringing outside speakers to our campuses through the end of September 2025. This step gives us time to carefully review our safety practices for events of this kind.
"Even with this pause, SLCC is committed to remaining a place where all are welcome and all viewpoints can be shared and considered through civil discourse. We believe that college is a place where students encounter new ideas, listen to different perspectives, and develop their own views through dialogue, research, and critical thinking.
"When speaker activities resume, we want to be confident they are safe for everyone and true to SLCC’s values of openness, inclusion, and respect."
FOX 13 News also received the following statements from different universities across the state.
BYU:
"As you may know, we’ve already had an increased police presence on campus this week in the wake of Wednesday’s tragic shooting. When it comes to any potential changes along the lines you mentioned, we are regularly reviewing our policies, just like most higher ed institutions."
Utah Tech:
"Campus safety is of paramount importance to us. Utah Tech regularly reviews our security procedures and will continue to examine current practices to determine if any changes need to be made to campus procedures as well as if any changes need to be made for upcoming events."
University of Utah:
"The University of Utah’s Department of Public Safety has the responsibility to maintain a safe and secure environment for all students, faculty, staff and visitors at the many events hosted on our campus. The vast majority of these events and gatherings occur with no safety or security concerns, due to their nature and size.
"As a public institution, we have unique requirements for special event safety, while also protecting free speech and the right of assembly.
"When the Department of Public Safety receives a request to provide security for an event, we work closely with the event organizers and the other campus departments involved in planning to understand their concerns, assess risks, and identify dynamics that may require additional planning or resources from external agencies.
"We take into account the venue, the number of anticipated attendees, and if there have been previous safety concerns at similar events, either at our university or at other institutions. If the event organizers anticipate counter-protests or if we identify concerning social media related to the event or the speaker, we adjust accordingly and deploy additional resources. Every event that we are made aware of is treated thoughtfully and on a case-by-case basis to ensure the best possible outcome.
"By their very nature, special events are dynamic. Even with good planning, communication, and coordination across departments, it is not possible to anticipate or prevent every conceivable threat. However, our department provides the resources needed, both internal and external, based on the information we have at the time. We plan for contingencies and adjust as situations evolve. While historically this approach has worked well for us, we continually review our protocols and training to align with best practices in event security and campus safety."
Other universities like UVU and Utah State University told FOX 13 that they are currently reviewing their safety policies and are working to have increased security on campus.
