"Usually, among the honks and waves of support, we receive a few thumbs-down and even fingers-up. But on Wednesday, our critics were mad. I was puzzled at first when a scowling young man pulled over to the curb and pointed to the words "Due Process" on my sign, sneering, "Due process with a gun, you mean." The next man to vent clarified, shouting across traffic at a red light, "You're destroying the country! A good man died today because of you and your violence!""
"The assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University represents more than the loss of a prominent activist. It signals a terrifying erosion of our most fundamental freedoms. When a person with their rights under the First Amendment can be shot on a college campus, we need to know: How secure are we? Campus debates and open dialogues were the foundation of his career."
A political assassination on a college campus has intensified public anger and raised urgent concerns about safety, free speech, and democratic norms. Protesters encountered heightened hostility, including misinterpretations of calls for due process as condoning violence. Campus debates and open dialogues that once allowed opposing views to collide safely now face the threat of silencing through fear. The erosion of fundamental freedoms becomes tangible when speakers risk bodily harm. De-escalation, civic responsibility, and leadership are necessary to restore kindness, preserve open debate, and ensure that political disagreement does not become a pretext for violence.
Read at The Mercury News
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