RISON - About 60 people gathered at the Cleveland County Courthouse in Rison Saturday evening for a vigil in memory of slain Christian and conservative activist Charlie Kirk.Lee Freeman of Rison said he and his wife, Crystal, felt compelled to put together the event after seeing other communities doing the same thing in the wake of Kirk's assassination on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The vigil was held the day before Kirk's memorial service at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., which drew an estimated 300,000 visitors.Many of those attending the ceremony were young men, which was a primary target of Kirk's mission. In many of his online videos, Kirk encouraged young men to reject the prevalent "hook-up" culture of today and instead find true satisfaction in getting married, having children and providing for their needs. Several families attended Saturday's vigil as well, including parents and grandparents with their children and grandchildren. One family even had a cou-ple of strollers there with their young ones.Many in the crowd were wearing white t-shirts with the "FREEDOM" printed across the front, much like the shirt that Kirk was wearing when he was shot. One had a large "31" (Kirk's age) printed on the back with "Thank You Charlie" across the top and "A True Patriot" across the bottom. Another shirt had "Forever In Our Hearts" written between two olive branches with a dove above it and an American flag below.Meanwhile, a mother and daughter propped their handmade signs against their legs as they lite their candles for the vigil. One sign said "Rest In Peace Charlie" with a reference to John 12 and the other said "We Love Charlie." Two locally-elected officials, Justice of the Peace Bruce Brown of the Pansy community and Rison City Council member Cleve Reed, attended the event.Freeman led the audience in a moment of silence before each lite their candles. Pastor Kevin Hornday of Freedom Assembly in...
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