Honoring Charlie Kirk in Loudoun County

Recently the Leesburg Town Council in Loudoun County Virginia fast tracked a request for a rainbow-colored crosswalk without a town policy and without public input. The Council then created a town policy to validate their decision and grandfathered the rainbow project for an additional extended length of time. The rainbow crosswalk was purported by the Council to be something to represent the “entire” community and bring people together. It had the opposite effect and simply divided the community because everyone in Leesburg is not LGBTQIA+2S BIPOC.

This year on Sept 10, 2025, Mr. Charlie Kirk was murdered for his political and religious beliefs and his desire to engage in peaceful debate with those who did not agree with him. Online, locally and nationally, people have mocked his murder, insulted his wife and family, and wished harm (including death) to those that admired Mr. Kirk.

As a conservative, I believe you have a right to free speech even if I disagree and if that is the case I will ignore it. I don’t resort to violence or vile name calling or threats, it’s pointless. However, in Loudoun County, liberals recently defaced, stole, and destroyed campaign signs for conservative candidates in the last election because that seems to be acceptable behavior.  If you can’t argue policies and facts, resort to violence.

Leesburg VA is known as a liberal haven with rainbow and trans flags flying in the windows of many local businesses. Again, that’s free speech and I can choose not to patronize those businesses because they obviously do not care about alienating a percentage of their customers by their political and ideological statements.

Despite knowing that Leesburg is a liberal enclave and rainbow crosswalks are welcome, I recently submitted a proclamation request to the Leesburg Town Council to remember the tragic murder of Charlie Kirk and create an “Open Dialogue Day” to encourage dialogue between people with different opinions. There are many conservatives and Christians that not only live in Leesburg but throughout Loudoun County.  However, observing the political climate in Loudoun County would not lead you to believe that. The Leesburg Town Council, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, and the Loudoun County School Board are ALL controlled by a liberal democrat majority and they are not shy about letting residents know they are in control. As a matter of fact, the Loudoun County School Board has been in the national media spotlight for its transgressions for at least four to five years with no end in sight.

Not surprisingly, my request was denied by the Leesburg Town Council. The town council, led by Kelly Burk, created a highly edited, generic, watered down version of my proclamation after removing ALL references to Charlie Kirk’s assassination and my acknowledgement that Leesburg is a diverse community that does in fact contain Christians and conservatives.  According to the Mayor, Kelly Burk, they discussed the proclamation in a working session of the Council and decided to edit it. In her response she hid behind the town policy that does not guarantee a request will be granted and that the Council may edit any proclamation.  However, common decency and civility would have prompted someone to contact me and let me know they planned to delete the meat and substance of the proclamation.  As you will read below, the proclamation was clearly written to give a voice to Christians and conservatives that live in Leesburg and Loudoun County because our voices are absolutely muted. It was also a declaration of humanity to recognize the violent and senseless murder of a patriotic American that epitomized the essence of free speech and open/respectful dialogue.

The watered-down version of the proclamation was passed at the Town Council meeting on Tuesday November 25, 2025.  I think that Mayor Burk did that so she could take credit for encouraging free speech, state the generic line of  “hate has no home here,” and give the illusion of fostering a welcoming environment; it was an obvious farce.  What she failed to realize is that her actions just reinforced suspicions of her political and ideological biases and the fact that Leesburg is only welcoming if you wear the rainbow pin and agree with the Mayor, otherwise, you are deemed a MAGA Christian white nationalist and sometimes a racist and a homophobe.

At the Town Council meeting I read the original unedited proclamation I submitted for consideration not because I thought something would change but instead to let the public know what happened and call out the behavior of Ms. Burk and her cronies. If we remain silent about issues with our local government suppressing free speech, then we lose our voices.

This is yet another example of clear biases of the controlling majority of the Leesburg Town Council in favor of liberal politics, favoring anyone in the LGBTQIA+2S BIPOC community. The Leesburg Town Council is not trying to represent all of Leesburg but instead only really cares about its political and social agendas. Maybe someday Leesburg will elect representatives for ALL the people and Mayor Kelly Burk will realize the name of the town is NOT Burkville.

Original Proclamation submitted by Rivera to the Leesburg Town Council on 09/15/2025:

The Town of Leesburg, Virginia PROCLAMATION
Open Dialogue Day (September 10 Annually)

WHEREAS, Charles James Kirk, was publicly murdered for his opinions on September 10, 2025; and

WHEREAS, the Town of Leesburg is committed to protecting and defending the human right to free speech of all persons without regard to race, religion, sex, or political affiliation; and

WHEREAS, many people living, worshipping, and raising their families in Loudoun are Christians who share the biblical worldview of Charlie Kirk that his murderer hated; and

WHEREAS, subsequent to Kirk’s murder, certain Loudoun residents have cheered or excused the crime, and some Americans even proposed other people for similar assassination, and

WHEREAS, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—which includes free speech—is a basic right of all Americans; and

WHEREAS, the Town Council has previously announced to all residents of Leesburg and Loudoun County that we must work together to love one another, that “hate has no home here” in Leesburg;

THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED, the Mayor and the Leesburg Town Council hereby declare September 10 as “Open Dialogue Day” in memory of Charles James Kirk who was murdered at the age of thirty-one while exercising his right to free speech and conscience, and while witnessing to his Christian faith and urging young people to thoughtfully evaluate their own political opinions with anyone willing to peacefully talk and debate.

Revised Proclamation highly edited by the Town Council: