UPDATED: The vigil has been relocated to the Woodlawn Square Shopping Center.
A vigil for the slain conservative political activist Charlie Kirk has been scheduled for Thursday in East Cobb.
But the vigil that had originally been scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. Thursday at the East Cobb Government Services Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road) is being relocated
A group of East Cobb mothers organized the event, according to a message about the event sent to East Cobb News on Monday. The East Cobb Government Services Center facility includes Cobb Police Precinct 4 and the Cobb Fire Station 21.
But they did so without notifying the county, which told East Cobb News on Tuesday “that this location is not appropriate for large public gatherings, as such activity could interfere with critical police and fire operations.
“Public safety officials have attempted to contact the organizers without success. The public should be aware that this facility cannot accommodate this event due to the potential disruption of public safety operations. Anyone who attempts to attend will not be permitted to gather there.”
Randi Beth Soniker, one of the organizers, told East Cobb News Tuesday that “we were not told no” but said her group was making arrangements for another location to be determined.
A number of vigils have been taking place across the country since Kirk was killed last Wednesday while speaking at a university in Utah.
Among the vigils included a Sunday event at the Kennedy Center in Washington that drew cabinet members of the Trump Administration and 85 members of Congress.
A vigil even was held in the Utah hometown of the 22-year-old suspect, Tyler Robinson.
The East Cobb organizers said that at Thursday’s vigil, it will be “just community coming together to talk about Charlie Kirk and open with a prayer or two. People can speak about how they are feeling and what’s on their mind. We’ll light candles in honor of Charlie Kirk. Just a peaceful event to bring the community together.”
Kirk, 31, was shot once in the neck from long range while speaking at Utah Valley University, and later was pronounced dead at a hospital.
He was the founder of Turning Point USA, an advocacy group that organized youth around a message of conservative populism.
Kirk was a strong ally of Trump who hosted his own podcast and spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2024.
A public memorial service is scheduled for Sunday at a football stadium near Phoenix, where Kirk lived.
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- Ga. Congress members respond to ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’
- Ga. Congressional members issue statements on Iran attacks
- Editor’s Note: An uneventful ‘No Kings’ rally in East Cobb
- Allen takes office as Cobb commission elections certified
- Kemp won’t challenge Ossoff in U.S. Senate race
- MORE: Visit the East Cobb News Politics & Elections Page
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