Elizabeth City’s mayor says the city council doesn’t have any plans to move forward with a Charlie Kirk mural right now.
Last week, community member Steven Young spoke to the Elizabeth City Council about putting up a mural to honor Charlie Kirk — a conservative activist who was killed on a college campus in Utah in September — on East Colonial Ave near an existing Black Lives Matter mural.
“We believe East Colonial Avenue’s high traffic location, ensuring maximum visibility and its name reflects the colonial fight for freedom, echoing Charlie's mission,” Young said. “Being near multiple colleges, it will inspire students with faith and biblical values.”
Young said the mural would be funded by donations and Turning Point USA, a group founded by Charlie Kirk.
“We are not asking for taxpayers to burden this cost,” he said. “However, I am asking for Charlie's mural to receive the same protections and maintenance provisions as the current BLM (Black Lives Matter) mural.”
Elizabeth City Mayor Kirk Rivers said the city council only makes decisions on things actually on the agenda, not things presented in public comment.
“Every citizen has the right to talk to council. That does not mean that there will be action taken,” Rivers said.
Rivers also said that while the proposal isn’t on the agenda for upcoming meetings right now, any council member can place something on the agenda at any time.
Before talking to the council, Young organized an online petition in support of the mural that collected more than 1,500 signatures.
In response to Young’s petition, Elizabeth City resident Pearl Fontaine organized a counter-petition that collected more than 2,500 signatures.
Fontaine said many of Charlie Kirk’s messages did not resonate with her and she would like to see murals that represent people from Elizabeth City or with some connection to this area.
“We, the organizers of this petition, recognize that Charlie Kirk's murder has negatively impacted community members like Steven Young,” she said. “However, we encourage them to heal from this loss in a way that does not affect the daily lives and representation of the rest of us.”
