Charlie Kirk memorial rally draws crowd to Bellmore LIRR station

People waving American flags and Trump banners lined a train station parking lot in Bellmore Saturday morning to condemn political violence and remember conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

About 200 people joined the two-hour rally organized by members of the Bellmore Patriots, a pro-President Donald Trump group formed in 2020, in the wake of Kirk's assassination on Wednesday.

As patriotic music played from speakers, a steady stream of passing cars on Sunrise Highway honked in support. While some in attendance followed Kirk, 31, the founder of Turning Point USA, more closely than others, all of those interviewed said his killing came as a shock and an attack on free speech.

"I feel like it's really not even about being left or right," said Heather Liebman, 35, of Commack. "Right now, it's just about being American. A person was killed over free speech, and that's everyone's American right. That's not left or right."

Liebman, a political activist, said she reached out to leaders of the Bellmore Patriots shortly after Kirk's death to pitch an idea for a rally. She said it was important to get away from social media and stand together.

"We're celebrating the life of him, not the death of him," said Jay Weinstein, of Bellmore, one of the co-leaders of the group.

A candlelight vigil organized by a different group, Loud Majority US, was planned Saturday evening in Seaford to "Light up the Sky for Charlie Kirk."

On Friday, authorities in Utah announced the arrest of Tyler Robinson, 22, as the alleged shooter who gunned down Kirk, a prominent Trump ally, as he spoke to several thousand people at an event on the campus of Utah Valley University.

Kirk's influence through the nonprofit he founded in 2012 helped spur a conservative movement among young voters. Some of his viewpoints, however — including criticism of the Civil Rights Act and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, opposition to same-sex marriage and dismissing climate change — made him a controversial figure.

His death comes at a time of heightened political division and rising political violence. In June, former Democratic state House Speaker Melissa Hortman was killed along with her husband, Mark. The alleged killer, Vance Boelter, reportedly listed dozens of Democrats as possible targets, according to media reports.

Wendy Yao, a co-leader of the Bellmore Patriots, said Kirk's killing made her think back to the assassination attempt on Trump in 2024.

"This could have easily been Trump last year if he had not moved his head," she said.

New York State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs said in a separate interview that "every American has to find the assassination of Charlie Kirk to be deplorable."

"Because whether you agree with him or disagree with him, you have to believe as an American in his right to voice his opinion and to respect that he did so with the passion that so many could support," he said.

Anthony Falleo, 23, of Northport, who was at the memorial, said Kirk and Turning Point USA influenced his path toward the Republican Party.

"I hope that people use it as a unifying moment where everyone can come together and just go against political violence of all kinds, whether it be right wing, left wing, any wing," he said.

Army veteran Raffaele Feniello, 52, of Wantagh, said he frequently listened to Kirk.

"Did I agree with 100% of what he said? No, but that's OK. You don't have to."

Liebman said Kirk's death was particularly jarring because it hit close to home as a political activist.

"We've all gotten death threats," she said. "We've all been harassed. We've been doxed. This could happen to any of us."

By Joe Werkmeister

joe.werkmeister@newsday.com

Joe Werkmeister joined Newsday in 2022 and covers Suffolk County government and politics. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.

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