View VideoSonora, CA — The item that garnered the most public discussion at this morning’s Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors meeting was a proposed resolution to declare October 14, locally, as a National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk.
Click here to read an earlier story about candlelight vigils held in Tuolumne County following Kirk’s assassination.
The resolution was authored by District Four Supervisor Steve Griefer. October 14 was picked because it was Kirk’s birthday.
The board room was packed with people wanting to comment on the item, and indications were that it could draw a heated and highly politicized debate.
At the beginning of the discussion, District Three Supervisor Anaiah Kirk submitted a counter-resolution to instead recognize October 14 as “Free Speech and Public Service Remembrance Day.”
His revised resolution referenced Charlie Kirk’s death, along with attacks against both Democrats and Republicans, including President Abraham Lincoln, President John F. Kennedy, President Donald Trump, Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, and Congressman Steve Scalise.
Explaining his reasoning, Supervisor Kirk stated, “I’m trying desperately to hear the other side and come to a middle ground. Not because I’m weak, but because nobody is doing it anymore. The most important part of this (revised) resolution is the very last point where I ask people to reach across the political divide and find someone who sees things differently from you. Share a cup of coffee, and start a conversation. Get out of social media and stop being controlled by the algorithms that are controlling this divide.”
Supervisor Griefer supported the counter-resolution and indicated that it accomplishes what he had initially set out to do.
Supervisor Ryan Campbell argued that every word of the revised resolution was changed from what Supervisor Griefer initially proposed, so Campbell asked that the measure be tabled to a later meeting, so that the public can better review it. Supervisor Jaron Brandon also supported tabling it (while also complimenting some of the changes made by Supervisor Kirk), and Griefer said he was ok with the idea as well.
Several people then came up during public comment, many indicating that they had planned to speak about the original resolution. Some spoke negatively about some of Charlie Kirk’s statements, while others praised Supervisor Kirk for the revised wording. Some people preferred no mention of Charlie Kirk.
In the end, the board tabled the discussion about the resolution to the next meeting. In the meantime, Supervisors Kirk and Campbell will meet in an ad-committee role to finalize the wording of the resolution before it comes back to the full board for a vote.
Click here to read Kirk’s counter-proposal that was put forward-which will be revised further
Click on the video box above to view some of the board discussion.
