CLE Honors Charlie Kirk

(Story and photos by John Kerezy, eyeoncleveland.com founder, and Liam Kalka, Lens Legacy Photography. See link below to Liam’s photography)

STRONGVILLE, SEPT. 21 — Braving the rain and sitting on the ground or in lawn chairs, thousands of Northeast Ohioans gathered at Strongsville Commons in one of Cleveland’s largest suburbs to honor the memory of Charlie Kirk Sunday night.

Strongsville Mayor Tom Perciak gave a brief, heartfelt welcome to the attendees, reminding them that Strongsville is a faith community. “We must remember who we are, so we can be an example to others,” he said.

Mayor Perciak asked for prayers for Erika Kirk and the couple’s two young children. “God give them the strength and energy to move forward,” he added. “God is good ….” he continued, and the crowd responded in unison with the mayor, “all the time.”

The mayor praised Charlie Kirk’s work in reaching people, especially young people, with his message of conservative values. He concluded with a plea for peace, saying, “Prayer heals all evil, not violence.”

Next, broadcaster and podcaster Bob Frantz addressed the crowd from the gazebo at Strongsville Commons. Frantz, whose “Strictly Speaking” show airs each weekday morning on 1420 AM on the web at ( https://whkradio.com ), held nothing back as he both praised the life of Charlie Kirk and condemned those criticizing Kirk’s life and work on social media as well.

“He wanted nothing more than to bring people to God,” Frantz said about Kirk, whom he had met at Mar-A-Largo in December 2024. “That was his No. 1 purpose in life….(politics) was his side hustle.”

Frantz asked the crowd to continue striving to support Kirk’s mission and vision, and to support his widow’s taking up the Turning Point USA mantle. He said to applause from the crowd, “Today, we are all Charlie Kirk.

“His No. 1 job, as he said many times, was to bring more people to Jesus Christ …. to help make heaven crowded,” Frantz said.

Some of the crowd at the Charlie Kirk candelight vigil in Strongsville

As he concluded, he added his belief that those who castigated Kirk’s life and mission on their social media posts are doing evil, and if they lost their jobs as a result they have no one but themselves to blame.

“If you want to post hate speech about murder victims, do it from the unemployment line.”

Jack Windsor, founder and editor of the Ohio Press Network and host of The Windsor Report weekdays afternoons on 98.9 FM “The Answer” in Columbus, praised Charlie Kirk for all he accomplished. “God made us with a plan, a design, with a purpose,” Windsor said. “Charlie’s life, event his ascension into heaven, show us that.”

He compared the breakthrough of Kirk and Turning Point USA in reaching young adults with a message about conservatism and the Gospel with Roger Bannister, the first person to break the four-minute mile mark in track.

“Once it has been done, it can be done again,” Windsor added, expressing his belief that Turning Point USA will continue having a transformational impact, especially on young adults.

Pastor Jeff Tauring of Liberty Valley Church delivered a closing prayer. State Rep. Mike Dovilla and Robert Kilo, were unable to speak due to the weather, although Kilo offered a couple of final comments as a postscript to the vigil.

Strongsville GOP Chair Shannon Burns thanked hundreds of volunteers for helping with the vigil, and thanked the crowd for assembling and remembering Charlie Kirk’s life and legacy. He also expressed gratitude to the City of Strongsville and the Strongsville Police Dept. for its assistance with the event.

LINKS TO VIDEOS POSTED FROM SUNDAY NIGHT’S STRONGSVILLE GOP VIGIL FOR CHARLIE KIRK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JTK6c58W18