PHOENIX, Ariz. — The memorial outside the Turning Point USA headquarters not only grew in size but it also transformed into a sanctuary for those willing to share their heartfelt feelings.
Dan Beazely stood next to his 10-foot cross in the middle of a circle. The temperature climbed to nearly 100 degrees on Sunday afternoon.
“I remember my parents talking about where we were when JFK was shot,” Beazely spoke into the mic.
“That’s going to be a memory that a lot of us have for Charlie Kirk today.”
Kirk was shot and killed during a “Prove Me Wrong” debate at Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon.
Four years ago, Beazely, a Michigan resident, built the giant cross and traveled to locations where people were facing dark times, whether it was natural disasters or tragedies like the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
“I knew that I had to get in my truck and drive 29 hours from Michigan to be here with you so that this cross could stand above all the darkness and shine a light,” Beazely said.
He concluded his remarks by dedicating a song, “What If I Gave Everything” by Casting Crowns, a Christian band, to Kirk.
Beazely passed the mic to others. A group of volunteers offered similar services to help people find solace through shared experiences.
During these peaceful moments, the memorial became a place where the message of unity and collective resilience shined despite the deep political divisions and tensions in the country right now.
There were notable moments of chaos and violence, like when a young man decided to try to stomp all over the memorial, only brought people together.
Kennedy Theabold, a young mother and a Latter-day Saint who lives in Tempe, was among many to share her pain.
“As much as it is a spiritual war, it is a culture war and we need to be vocal about it,” Theabold said. The statement received cheers and she continued, “I ask all the parents here: Guard your children. What are they listening to? What are they watching?”
Theabold later explained the source of her worries to the Deseret News. “There’s a big shift from what I’ve seen on social media.”
Theabold teared up slightly before gathering her thoughts.
She is a creator on TikTok, and her posts about Harry Potter earned her 250,000 followers on the platform. And although she never shares her politics, Theabold said she now sees people expressing their political opinions more loudly, including those who celebrated the tragic assassination of Kirk.
“People can see that a lot of the things that are going on right now are just wrong,” she said.
Reflecting on the surge in violence, as evidenced by the news cycle of recent weeks, “It’s not just blue and red anymore, and I think that a lot of people are coming to terms with that.”
She is a member of the Turning Point Moms Coalition. Her blue polo T-shirt bore the group’s name. During the last election, the group of 20 mothers wrote postcards and knocked on doors.
In the past, Turning Point paid the bill for the Moms Coalition to go to the splash pad or the trampoline park. Theabold expects this program to grow to include other parts of Phoenix. Later this month, mothers in the Mesa area will be invited to bring their children to meet firemen and police officers to learn about safety, thanks to Turning Point, Theabold told me.
Before saying goodbye, Theabold asked if I had seen the video of a man trampling over the memorial earlier that morning.
Theabold noticed his shirt looked very similar to the one the suspect, Utahn Tyler James Robinson, was wearing on the day of the assassination.
At close to 10 a.m., witnesses detained a man, Ryder Corral, 19, who trampled over the flowers, balloons and other items at the memorial. Officers on-site for traffic control arrested him for “criminal damage and disorderly conduct,” according to a report from a Fox News affiliate.
Rapid response chaplains
Alongside Beazely with the 10-foot cross, Billy Graham’s rapid response team also arrived on the scene earlier in the afternoon. A group of seven chaplains offered “a clear message that God loves us,” the lead volunteer told the Deseret News.
This rapid response team, first started during the aftermath of the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001, responds to catastrophic events around the world.
In such traumatic circumstances when individual grief becomes overwhelming, these volunteers provide a place for people to share their stories and pray.
Donnie Singer, another attendee, also came to the Turning Point headquarters and shared her grief on the mic, standing next to Beazely.
“We are all brothers and sisters here. I am a Democrat but I’m not that kind of Democrat,” Singer, retired, recalled saying. She was born and raised on the Navajo reservation and now lives in Laveen, Arizona.
“I’m not for going to memorials or funerals but I just felt moved to come,” she admitted. “I am just really proud of everyone being here, for being peaceful.”
