>> The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has spurred a public discourse on political violence and the rhetoric that perpetuates it shortly after Kirk was fatally shot on the Utah Valley University campus last week.

President Donald Trump blames the quote, radical left for the uptick in violence.

Kirk was honored with a memorial service at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., yesterday and at Saturday's anti-immigrant rally in London.

Meanwhile, some celebrated Kirk's death while others showed indifference to the controversial figure.

Joining us to discuss the way we talk with each other about politics are Maya Roman, a senior at DePaul University.

Sydney Richardson, deputy editor of the Columbia Chronicle at Columbia College, Chicago, and via Zoom, Raiden Gonzalez, vice president of college Republicans at Illinois State University.

Thanks to the 3 of you for getting us into your busy student schedules, Britain.

Gonzalez, I want to start with you first, please.

You admired Kirk.

You even have the opportunity to shake his hand once.

What was it about him that drew you to him?

>> would truly to Charlie Kirk is that, you know, he represented something So the young conservative movement, there's kind is hopeful idea when you do to save America is just have some conversations.

And to some people and, you know, young conservatives a little debating.

I want to be with my fellow students.

And he just kind of represent this idea that America probably could change for the better and that I hope not true.

But you'll see that it died with him.

That kind of optimistic idea.

There's going to be easy, at least.

>> What do you think he was able to draw such a large following?

mean, it's one thing for, you know, for a few people to to be sort of enamored with his message in what they believe him to represent.

But he was able to amass a decent size following of young people, young men, especially when you think that was about.

>> What do you know else was doing it?

I feel yeah, no one was really like doing what occurred was doing.

honestly, for the longest time, like young young conservatives really disengage like when I was growing as a conservative, like as a kid like change my top change my mind.

People talks with something like legendary.

You know, it's like it's it's scary to talk like you're is here to talk about your opinions.

I'm on a college campus, especially when you're in such a small minority, but Lynch or incur kind of broke that And so that's that's why did you also think you like the first want to do it?

He was really good at, you know, he was he was like so you so many.

But you so many people's heroes mind, you know, and he will be dearly missed.

>> Maya, what would you say?

What was your reaction may be from some of your peers when you initially heard that Kirk had been killed?

>> the emotions are very conflicted.

A lot of my friends are part of marginalized communities that Charlie tend to target with a lot of his rhetoric.

So there's been a lot of conflicting emotions around I would say it would lean more towards relief that that harm is and continued as a cycle.

>> he often preached, you know, free speech and was known for debating people across the political aisle city.

What is free speech mean to you?

Especially as a student journalist?

Yes.

So free speech is, of course, very important to me and not just like as a student journalist, but as American in general I mean, part of free speech is that.

Naturally people are always going to agree, but also people are often going to feel hurt by others.

Expressions of free speech so just around my campus, which does not really have a conservative presence at Columbia College.

Seeing a lot of in the wake of Charlie Kirk's killing a lot of, you know, condemnation of his messages.

And that I feel.

If we're saying that Charlie Kirk left behind a legacy of free speech that I feel is extension of it for people to criticize his message after he's gone.

What would you say that Charlie Kirk's work was an example of free speech?

But I feel like just as much as his work is an expression of his free speech and his conservative voice, people's responses to his work.

You know, the very people that step up to the microphone to debate him.

They are also expressing their free speech and not I feel like.

Seeing as he just died in such like violent way.

I see a lot of people going back and forth like is it okay for someone else to condemn someone that died.

You know?

I mean it, I guess, like, you know, the question is and I want to be clear, for example, it we can condemn worst.

People can condemn what Charlie Kirk said.

But at the same time condemned the way in which he died.

Absolutely.

And I think empathy is one of our largest ranks as humanity, you know, and that's how we move towards.

>> Our goals and that's how we're able to work together.

However, it's it's not you can't ignore the cycle that harm creates and you can't ignore the fact that hate bringing tape and there is a lot of hate that he created a lot of heat that he perpetuated Brayden.

What do you say to that?

But what are your thoughts on that?

You you admired him say that's?

>> Yeah.

I'd say that's wrong record by many ways was the moderate.

And, you know, the first thing he had my when he debate with people is that he wanted to change people's mind to help them.

And so I don't think he create this cycle of hate.

And, you know, I really notice that it is prayer vigil.

So when after you get past the day after there was a vigil held and I was kind afraid because you know that the first hearing the news, I was really but, you know, I had reflect to pray, you know, ideally like the shooter did awful thing and I pray for his elevation.

I prefer the salvation of Kurt.

But like when I went to his vigil, my concerns were race because they were just like the people were just so peace loving.

And that's without you broke my that's what really bothers me about Charlie Kirk step.

It's not a father and husband is dead, but it's that.

>> People are hurt.

People who are so peaceful and loving.

>> And it was just like I just this idea that like you stipulate hates, like no, actually, he is he was the monitor.

And now nation.

>> Well, Curtis, a nation, you know it.

It follows other murders.

Of course, the Minnesota House of Representatives, Speaker America, Melissa Hortman and her husband, Marc and her husband Mark Ortman.

Excuse me.

That was in June of this year.

The arson, Pennsylvania Governor John Josh Shapiro's mansion.

Will he and his family slept inside?

That was in April 2 assassination attempts that we know of course against President Donald Trump won was notably in Butler, Pennsylvania, June of last year, a few months before the last several months before the election where it injured his ear.

Brayden to what do you attribute the rise of political violence?

Because it it sounds like this is happening against people who are members both party.

>> If we stop to define people as human beings, all of us are made the likeness of God.

You know, we're building dot com and we don't treat human beings like that anymore because there's just this kind of sadistic culture that promotes all these are awful things and just courageous people who are just apathetic when it comes to human life.

And that's where all these political killings are coming from.

It's just from societal decay.

>> question to you to what do you attribute rise political violence?

>> I honestly a kind of agree with our guests here.

We have not been able to really view empathy in the same way anymore.

And honestly, no one should ever be dying of gun violence United States and no one should be dying of political violence in general.

Free speech should be protected within America.

And we're just seeing this lack of empathy across both sides, but it's also very hard to have empathy when people don't view you as human beings.

And they don't believe that you should have rights or the same rights as others.

So that can make conversation very hard and it can make it hard to foster any kind of communication.

Of course, since the assassination, as we've said, there's been a lot of finger pointing as to who's to blame the rich, the rhetoric from the left or the right.

>> Here's what the local conservative group Chicago flips from Red had to say in reaction to Kirk's death.

shot.

>> Charlie Kirk and killed from the liver was happy.

Now this is the act, the war we at war with the left we at war with JB Pritzker.

We at war with Brandi.

Just think if we have to fight back against the liberals, be it.

We will fight until I cannot fight no more.

>> Sydney, how would you describe the political discourse on your campus visits to tend to skew one way or the other?

You mentioned that a Colombian not a lot of conservatives.

it's just not really in Colombia's DNA.

you know, in urban arts school.

So you can kind of make some generalizations about it.

But also we have a 40% of our students identify as LGBTQ.

We are at a Hispanic serving institution about 28% of our students are Hispanic and about 55% are bipoc black indigenous people of color.

So those different marginalized identities coming together has sort of shaped peoples, social and political perspectives, I think ends So winds to skew a little like time, same question to you.

How would you describe the political discourse campus?

Political discourse is always a thing but around this topic in particular, DePaul.

>> Ski was left for Does it ever get heated between people who disagree?

number like land on social media?

I would say yes, absolutely.

And we saw that with the encampment that occurred on the polls university as well a couple years ago or a year ago at this point.

So it can absolutely get heated.

But for university does its best to try and hold space for that.

This course Brayden.

We've got about 30 seconds left.

How would you describe the political discourse on your campus?

>> Obviously, very liberal.

There a state university and has sort conservative area.

So it's usually very But honestly, it's so doesn't get too bad.

No new and too radical because of that.

>> We'll leave it there.