Dozens of people attended the Vigil for Peace in Honor of Charlie Kirk at Market Square in Lake Forest on Sept. 21, the same day Kirk’s memorial service took place in Glendale, Arizona.
Kirk, a conservative activist, was killed by an assassin’s bullet on Sept. 10 during a speaking appearance at Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah.
Kirk was raised in Arlington Heights and was a 2012 graduate of Wheeling High School. Kirk was also a student from 2002 to 2005 at Christian Heritage Academy in Northfield.
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The Sunday event was co-organized by Lake Forest residents Olivia Johnson and Michelle Parnell.
“I’m here for free speech,” Parnell said. “And no one deserves to be assassinated for their opinions and expressing their views and their free speech.
“Charlie Kirk said, ‘You must always have courage.’
“So we’re here,” Parnell said.
Johnson was moved to action on Sept. 16 to host the vigil for Kirk.
“To be exact, I think it was Tuesday, last week,” Johnson recalled. “And I was sort of waiting to see if something was going to happen in this community and nothing seemed to be happening, so I just got the courage to make some phone calls and I said, ‘I want to do something.’
“Luckily for me,” Johnson said, “I was introduced to Michelle Parnell and she’s much more connected in the community,” Johnson said.“And it just happened.”
Rev. Jim Buckman of Faith Lutheran Church of Lake Forest offered words to the audience on a balmy Sunday evening in the upper 60-degree range. Steady rain had just stopped by the time the vigil began at 7 p.m. Lake Forest Police had a strong presence.
“Charlie was a person of faith and his faith was his moral compass,” Buckman said shortly before the vigil.
“And he wanted to share about his faith with other people and he was always open to a conversation with whomever and he would share his megaphone with whomever,” Buckman said. “We should be people who share our faith with other people and engage in conversation.
“What good is the First Amendment if you don’t use it?”
Trey Frahler of Lake Forest was in the audience with family.
“Charlie was a great representation of our faith,” Frahler said. “That was his main mission when he was here on Earth was to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“He (Kirk) really was a light in this world,” Frahler added.
Shields Township Republican Chairman Dan Rogers of Lake Bluff assisted organizers in setting up a table area with candles and photos of Charlie Kirk.
“I had the distinct honor of meeting Charlie about a year ago at an event here in Lake Forest,” Rogers said. “And when Olivia (Johnson) said she wanted to do this, Michelle got a hold of me, and we just started putting it all together and cleared it with the city, and here we are.
“God’s in the raindrops,” Rogers said.
Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.