ST. JOHNS, Mich. — Hundreds of neighbors gathered at St. Johns City Park Monday night to honor the memory of Charlie Kirk with a candlelight vigil.
- More than 600 neighbors attended the Monday night vigil organized by local resident Hailey Denison.
- Attendees from St. Johns and surrounding communities came together to remember the conservative activist.
- The memorial featured American flags, flowers and candles throughout the park.
WATCH: St. Johns community unites to remember Charlie Kirk at memorial service
American flags, flowers and candles decorated the park as neighbors came together to pay their respects to the conservative activist. The gathering was organized by St. Johns neighbor Hailey Denison.
"It means so much to see this community gather together. United not only in grief, but also in gratitude for a life that impacted so many," Denison said in an address to the crowd.
Denison shared that she felt compelled to organize the event after following Kirk's work for several years.
"I started watching Charlie Kirk a few years ago, and just kind of fell in love with the person that he was. I felt like I had to do something, and I feel like I was called to do this," Denison said.
Before the event, Denison expressed uncertainty about attendance numbers, but the memorial ended up drawing more than 600 neighbors from St. Johns and surrounding communities.
Margaret Maniez, a St. Johns resident who attended the vigil, spoke about Kirk's influence.
"An inspiration to us and the way he worked with the youth of our country, there's no one who could have done better," Maniez said.
Alexander Schelling traveled from Brighton to attend what he said was his fifth Kirk memorial service.
"That attack wasn't just a partisan thing. It wasn't a Republican or Democrat thing. It was an attack on free speech, frankly," Schelling said.
Attendees joined together in song, creating a moment of unity as they remembered Kirk's life and legacy.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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