By Alexander Lomax
Photo Credit: NPR
The Scottsdale City Council voted 5-2 to investigate erecting a memorial for Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder who was assassinated at a Utah college campus earlier this year. And while I understand the impulse to honor someone with deep Arizona roots, something about this moment feels… premature.
Let me be clear: Kirk moved Turning Point USA headquarters to Phoenix in 2019 and lived in Scottsdale with his wife, a Scottsdale native. His tragic death was shocking and senseless. He was undeniably effective at what he did: building a political movement that mobilizing young conservatives across the country. These are facts, and they matter.
But here’s where I get uncomfortable: Scottsdale is the third Phoenix-area city to propose a Kirk memorial, following rejected proposals in Fountain Hills and Phoenix. State Senate President Warren Petersen wants to rename Loop 202 the “Charlie Kirk Memorial Loop 202.” President Trump posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. A memorial service at State Farm Stadium drew tens of thousands, with Trump calling Kirk an “American martyr.”
This is the treatment we typically reserve for presidents, civil rights leaders, and figures whose impact transcends partisan politics. Charlie Kirk was a talented political commentator and organizer…but he was a political commentator and organizer. His legacy is important to millions of conservatives, absolutely. But does that warrant the rush to immortalize him in concrete and steel across Arizona?
Councilman Adam Kwasman said the memorial would provide “a space for reflection and dialogue” about civic engagement. That’s a noble goal. But I wonder if we’re conflating a tragic death with historical significance. Are we memorializing the person or the moment? Are we honoring achievement or martyrdom?
The speed of this nationwide push, the bridge renamings, the highway dedications, the Presidential Medal of Freedom…it feels less like organic remembrance and more like political consolidation. It’s treating a podcaster like a fallen president, and that precedent makes me uneasy, regardless of political affiliation.
Kirk deserves to be remembered by those who loved and believed in him. But does he warrant permanent civic monuments? That’s the question Scottsdale needs to honestly answer, not just feel.