On Tuesday, September 2, a protest was organized outside Visalia First against the pro-life organization Tulare-Kings Resources for Life for inviting Charlie Kirk, a right-wing influencer, as the key-note speaker for its annual “Advancing the Mission” event.
Kirk is a conservative activist and media personality who is best known for co-founding Turning Point USA, his confrontational “Prove Me Wrong” debates with college students, and his polarizing rhetoric. Much of Kirk’s messaging stems from Christian nationalism, and he has often been criticized by fact-checkers and commentators for spreading misinformation.
Organizer Yocelyn shared concerns about Kirk’s presence, explaining that she organized the protest because young people and community voices need space to speak their minds, especially against someone like Kirk.
Cory Bly, 52, and her daughter, Bo, 21, members of the Visalia First church, joined the protest.
“We’re both out here every Sunday,” Bly said. “Charlie Kirk being here is not good for women or children. He wants to teach them to be subservient and not go to college. He’s also supporting a pedophile as president. We’re giving back to the community more than the church by being out here.”
“It’s wild to see the amount of people supporting Kirk,” Bo added. “I don’t like his actions or views. He supports a pedophile president; he’s demeaning women by watering them down to incubators, preaching to young kids and implementing it into religion.”
The protest was met by counter-protesters – or perhaps more accurately, right-wing agitators.
Some agitators confronted protestors and took pictures of their faces. In response, organizers distributed masks to protect identities, as protestors worried the photos might later be used to dox them online.
Even more unsettling, a child who looked to be as young as 9 years old was sent into the crowd of protesters wearing a shirt that read “There are only 2 genders” on both sides. While he was left unbothered, the decision to send a child in with such a pointed message suggested an effort to provoke a reaction, even at the risk of putting him in danger.
Lisa, one of the organizers and an abortion rights activist, reflected on the danger. “I was fearful that the young people utilizing free speech were going to be targeted, so I wanted to come out and hold down some prayer, hold down some good chi, and be an adult watching over.”
Another protester, who asked to remain anonymous, added: “I really hate to see the weaponization of religion. I work in a profession where we are supposed to be culturally sensitive and understand people’s religion. And I do, but what I see happening here is something else.
“You’ve got to wonder if the people who engage in this rhetoric really believe what they’re saying, or if it’s just a tactic to talk to uneducated people,” she continued. “People need something to believe in, and I think they’re offering that. It’s upsetting that [Kirk] is here in Visalia because this is ranked the least educated city in America.”
Visalia PD patrolled the church parking lot and monitored the protest throughout the evening.
At one point of the protest, a group of young men in a red truck circled the intersection, yelling, making faces, and flipping off protesters. Towards the end of the night, the young men returned, got out of their truck, entered the crowd, and began harassing protesters.
When police arrived, they pushed protesters back but did not lay a hand on the young men, who laughed and mocked the crowd as officers formed a barrier between them and the organizers.
Lisa confronted the police, a moment that has since gone viral on social media.
“When they came up here and attacked our group, and you guys put your bodies around us instead of them, that’s that systemic oppression we’re talking about. As a police officer, you’re trained in conflict de-escalation, your job was to de-escalate, but instead you came after my people. That is disrespectful, and that is why we do not come to your side when you need it.”
Despite the intimidation and hostility to derail a peaceful protest, the protesters stood their ground, making clear that voices demanding justice and accountability will not be silenced.
