Judge Jamie Powell Horowitz of 45th District Court in Oak Park caused a stir last week when she noted the tragic irony of the death of political commentator Charlie Kirk. Disclosure rule: Judge Powell Horowitz is a friend of mine dating back to her years with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and my years as a 3rd Circuit Court employee (also in Wayne County).
But the grief to which Judge Powell Horowitz has been subjected is invalid. She told the truth: Charlie Kirk was on record for proclaiming gun related deaths in this country were a fair price to pay in exchange for defense of the 2nd Amendment. Gun related deaths, including that of Charlie Kirk, are not a reasonable price to pay. To make such a suggestion betrays an indifference to lives lost to gun violence and a warped view of the Constitution.
Kirk has been embraced by the right as a political martyr. But a heinous murder does not make one a martyr. Kirk preached an ugly and divisive brand of politics unbecoming acceptable rhetoric. He was a racist homophobe whose message was hateful.
Much is made of Kirk’s modus operandi in which he allowed for audience participation, including strong disagreement, at his rallies. That didn’t make him tolerant of other views. Were Kirk a tolerant individual, he would never have expressed a favorable view of the violent assault last year against Paul Pelosi, the husband of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-California), at the Pelosi home. Kirk called for public support of Pelosi’s assailant. The political right can reject these facts. But the truth surrounding Kirk’s legacy endures.
Not that the political left comes to the table with clean hands. This past May, the left nationwide (led by instigator-in-chief Al Sharpton) marked the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin. Like the murder of Kirk, the murder of Floyd was heinous and not at all justified. But references to George Floyd as a civil rights leader were (and are) misplaced to say the least.
Let’s consider the facts. George Floyd had five criminal convictions and was being arrested for a felony at the time of his death. Of course, his death was reprehensible, especially considering it was at the hands of a police officer sworn to protect the public. But Floyd’s tragic death is not cause for sainthood. He was a career criminal incapable of going straight.
Kirk was 31 years old with a wife and two young children. Floyd was 46 years old with a young daughter. Neither deserved the violent deaths they suffered and their families merit our sympathy.
But public reactions to the deaths of Charlie Kirk and George Floyd highlight the deep culture war our country suffers. This culture war will not heal by way of a kumbaya moment. A frank and factual discussion is needed if the ravages of culture war are to subside.
John O’Neill is an Allen Park free-lance writer and a graduate of Wayne State University.
