OREM, Utah — Soon after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Utah politicians were texting each other condolences and ideas for a memorial.
FOX 13 News has been working to learn about the planning that went into the September 10 rally for Kirk, but Utah Valley University still doesn’t want to give us those records. However, we also asked for text messages that State Rep. Val Peterson (R-Orem), who also serves as a university vice president, received or sent on the phone issued to him by the Utah Legislature.
In those messages, we see how quickly the discussion among politicians turned from one of fright into a conversation about memorializing Kirk.
The text messages also show how some members of the legislature were receiving updates about the deadly shooting.
Abby Osborne, the Chief of Staff for the Utah House of Representatives, sent a text minutes after the shooting, writing, "one person has been shot… Charlie Kirk is at a local hospital being treated.”
State Rep. Candice Pierucci (R-Herriman) sent her own text saying that she heard Kirk had died. Osborne simply replied, "confirmed."
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Other republican politicians texted Peterson to offer condolences to him, Kirk’s family and UVU. Then, ideas for a memorial began.
State Rep. Carl Albrecht (R-Richfield) texted Peterson the day after the shooting, writing, “We should have a memorial established at UVU for Charlie Kirk. And name the plaza where he was killed as the Charlie Kirk Memorial Plaza.”
Six days after the shooting, State Sen. Dan McCay (R-Riverton) texted Peterson six days with his concept.
“…basic description for the idea … Prove Me Wrong… a living conversation," he wrote. “… at the heart of this memorial stands a bronze table with two chairs.”
Kirk’s speaking tour was called “Prove Me Wrong.”
"Having something like that without the proper, like, time and care put into it to see, you know ... is this appropriate? Is this something that the students want?” asked Utah Valley University student Collin Grannis.
The memorial ideas worry Grannis, who is part of the UVU chapter of Students for a Democratic Society. The group plans another rally at 2 p.m. Thursday to oppose a Kirk memorial.
“Our stance is, if there has to be a memorial, it should be something that is not Charlie Kirk specific,” said Grannis. “Like, a lot of these views that he would perpetuate are very hateful, and that's not something that UVU stands for.”
In the aftermath of the shooting, McCay has been appointed to a committee that is considering a Kirk memorial at the school, and is still taking public comment.
FOX 13 News also filed a public records request with Utah Valley University for messages with Peterson about the Kirk rally and its aftermath. Again, Peterson was receiving messages about a memorial the day after the assassination.
A phone message the university gave us had the identity of the caller redacted.
“Do it as a community so that the college doesn't have a black eye, that the state doesn't have a black eye. So that they everybody knows that that he was loved and liked.”
FOX 13 News has asked for a lot more records, including those discussing preparations for Kirk’s rally. Thus far, the university has denied our public records requests, citing a variety of reasons, including that it cannot provide security records and the documents could interfere with the prosecution of the defendant, Tyler Robinson, who is charged with Kirk’s murder.
The station plans further appeals in pursuit of those records.
