Standing in front of the Tarrant County Courthouse Saturday evening, activist Carlos Turcios urged the thousands gathered to take Charlie Kirk’s death as “a wake-up call.”
Turcios, a member of the Tarrant County GOP and writer for the conservative online publication The Dallas Express, his wife, Zoey Turcios, and several Tarrant-based conservative activist groups gathered Saturday for a march and rally in downtown Fort Worth to honor Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA who was fatally shot at a college event in Utah earlier this month.
“What we face is not politics as usual,” Turcios shouted into a microphone. “It’s not merely policy disagreement — this is spiritual warfare.”
Throughout the rally, activists and elected officials echoed the message, telling attendees, “We are all Charlie,” and calling on them to carry on his legacy through political action, such as advocating for Christian, conservative values at local City Council or school board meetings.
About 3,000 people marched through downtown Fort Worth, according to police estimates. Many attendees wore red, white and blue and carried American flags, “Come and Take It” banners or images of Kirk. “Come and Take It” was the motto used by Texas colonists fighting for independence.
Denton resident Patrick Wallace attended with his wife and their two children, ages 5 and 7. He said it’s part of his children’s childhood to be exposed to what he and his wife believe in and take part in, including coming to events and marches.
“Kirk did a really good job going and debating people and changing people’s minds through debate,” Wallace said. “That’s very important. That’s a value that we have, and so we found it very inspirational, especially the things that he did in his life.”
The march began at the JFK Tribute in downtown Fort Worth and continued north on Houston Street, skirting Sundance Square to avoid a lowrider show held to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month.
As demonstrators passed by the festivities, a handful of people from both crowds shouted at each other and made profane hand gestures, but the march remained peaceful.
At the courthouse, speakers who took the lectern included Texas House Rep. Nate Schatzline, a Fort Worth Republican; Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare; Sheriff Bill Waybourn; Bo French, chair of the Tarrant County GOP; Brandon Hall, Fort Worth’s representative on the State Board of Education; Leigh Wambsganss, Republican candidate for State Senate District 9; and Annie Cellar, president of TCU’s Turning Point chapter.
After Turcios addressed the crowd, his wife, Zoey, took the stand. A self-described “former LGBTQ activist,” Zoe contrasted the American flag — which she said represents “life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, one nation under God” — with an LGBTQ Pride flag.
“This is the rot of a nation subdued by its own pride,” Zoey said, unfurling a Pride flag to boos from the crowd. She later added, “This is societal decay, corrosion, suicide, murder, hate.”
She then ripped the flag in half and threw it to the ground before her husband kicked it down the courthouse steps.
Schatzline, a lead pastor at the Fort Worth megachurch Mercy Culture, called the country’s political climate a spiritual battle and said Kirk was a “martyr for Christ.”
“The life of Charlie Kirk woke up the next generation, but the death of Charlie Kirk has radicalized the next generation,” Schatzline said, adding that radical meant they will “unapologetically speak the truth, no matter what it costs us, even if it’s our life.”
O’Hare, who is campaigning for reelection in 2026, described Kirk as “a follower of Jesus,” and then told the crowd of his plan to install a monument of the 10 Commandments outside the county courthouse later this year.
“Use this moment, just like Texans have used a battle cry for almost 200 years, ‘Remember the Alamo,’” O’Hare said. “Let’s add a new one to our great state of Texas, and that is, ‘We are Charlie Kirk.’”
Schatzline called on attendees to work to flip the seats of two Democratic Fort Worth City Council members who he said “mocked” Kirk’s death.
Council members Elizabeth Beck and Chris Nettles came under fire last week for their responses on social media to Kirk’s death.
Shortly after Kirk was shot in Utah, Beck posted on her personal social media a screenshot of a 2023 Newsweek headline that read, “Charlie Kirk says gun deaths ‘unfortunately’ worth it to keep 2nd Amendment.” Her now-deleted post included the word “unfortunate” overlaid on a photo of Kirk.
The post prompted Mayor Mattie Parker and other council members to condemn Beck, while Nettles defended his colleague.
A spokesperson for Parker, who was not in attendance, said via text message that the mayor’s prayers “continue to be with the Kirk family, our community and our nation in this time of enormous grief.”
Beck declined to comment on demonstrators’ calls for her removal from office. Nettles said in a phone interview Saturday night that neither he nor Beck condone violence toward any individual.
“I believe the city of Fort Worth should honor and respect people who love all people and not just a group of people,” he said, adding he stands by his statement supporting Beck and any comments he’s previously made on the issue.
Throughout the evening, demonstrators said they attended the rally to honor Kirk, who aligned with their conservative and Christian values.
Arlington resident Kolby Schellhammer, a member of the Tarrant-based conservative activist group True Texas Project, said she came to the rally because it’s important during challenging times to be with and support like-minded people.
After listening to speakers at the rally, she said she felt inspired to “live the word” and carry on Kirk’s legacy. To her, that will look like “showing up and making your voice known” at churches and City Council meetings to create a dialogue, like Kirk did.
“It doesn’t always have to be a for- or against-type (of) thing. It just has to be a communication thing,” Schellhammer said. “It’s a dialogue.”
Cecilia Lenzen and Drew Shaw are government accountability reporters for the Fort Worth Report. Contact them at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org and drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org.
