Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, now the president of Young America’s Foundation, said his youth conservative organization will review security at its events but won’t stop holding them on college campuses.
Backing down would mean “this assassin would win,” Walker said in a Sept. 14 interview on “Upfront,” WISN-TV’s Sunday politics show. “The best way to honor Charlie (Kirk’s) memory is to continue to do the work he was doing to reach out to young people.”
Kirk, a conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed Sept. 10 during an event at Utah Valley University. Authorities arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who will face charges of aggravated murder and other felonies.
Walker said YAF has already talked to conservative commentators Ben Shapiro and Matt Walsh about enhancing security at their events. Walker said his group typically holds events in auditoriums, not outdoors, and may start using metal detectors.
“I hope that now this doesn’t become a barrier to allowing conservative speakers on campus, I hope they open and welcome speakers from across the ideological spectrum, but I also hope that they’ll provide adequate security,” Walker said.
Walker said YAF canceled a Sept. 11 event with Ben Shapiro at the University of California Santa Barbara “initially because we thought we’d be praying for (Kirk’s) recovery,” Walker said. “That was done out of respect.”
“We will reexamine all that we do to ensure the safety of our students, first and foremost, our speakers, other staff,” Walker said. “We will make some investments, no doubt.”
Walsh visited the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus in 2022, where attendees at the indoor event outnumbered students protesting his visit. Police got involved to draw counter-protestors away after scuffles with protestors. YAF paid $8,000 for the event, and the student government provided the remaining $2,000 under its “viewpoint neutral” policy.
Walker said he saw Kirk and his family a few weeks ago at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Kirk invited him to speak at conferences while he was governor and even helped with Walker’s recall election, he said.
“Personally, it’s very devastating for us, but obviously as a nation, it’s devastating as well,” Walker said.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a Democrat running for governor, said “we need to stop the violent political rhetoric on both sides of the aisle” in a later interview on WISN’s program.
When asked about some Republicans suggesting Democrats are to blame, Crowley said “it’s unfortunate that we’re literally pointing the finger at partisanship. We shouldn’t be focusing on what political beliefs people have on who to blame when it comes down to this.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: After Kirk assassination, Scott Walker says Young America’s Foundation to review security at events
Reporting by Hope Karnopp, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
