In the wake of the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, some local leaders are hoping to bridge divides and curtail increasing political polarization.

“I hope and pray that ‘We the People’ can work toward reducing the extreme rhetoric that has further divided our country and reduce the unconscionable acts that have plagued our country,” Hopkinton Republican Town Committee chair Jim Mirabile wrote in a letter to the editor last month.

A podcaster and founder of Turning Point USA, Kirk was speaking at a college campus in Utah on Sept. 10 when he was shot and killed by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson. According to CBS News, Robinson allegedly confessed to the killing in text messages to his roommate, stating: “I had enough of his hatred.”

Kirk remains a divisive figure in American politics, even after his death. An early influencer in the Make America Great Again movement and close ally of President Trump, Kirk frequently visited college campuses to advocate for conservative values and influence young voters. 

Some of the views Kirk espoused have been labeled by critics as racist and anti-Semitic. He also made disparaging comments against the transgender and Muslim communities and was outspoken against diversity programs, immigration and abortion rights.

Despite the controversy, Mirabile said most of Kirk’s work centered on respectful dialogue and serving as a messenger for conservative values. 

“At his core, he was trying to engage young people in our political process and civic engagement,” Mirabile told the Independent.

In his letter, Mirabile pointed to “inflammatory” political rhetoric as one of the factors that led to Kirk’s assassination. He hopes to counter that rhetoric and build better relationships among those in town who do not share the same political views. The goal, he said, is to find some common ground.

“We seem to spend the majority of our time talking about things we disagree on,” said Mirabile. “I’d like to see us talk a little bit more about the things we agree on.”

Rep. James Arena-DeRosa, who wrote his own letter in response to Mirabile’s, agreed with this sentiment.

“Just the gesture of dialogue is good,” said Arena-DeRosa. “There’s value in exchange.”

“You don’t get to that part if you don’t sit down and listen,” he added.

Like Mirabile, Arena-DeRosa denounced political violence, claiming it has no place in the public square and does not serve the country. And while he advocated for local dialogue, he was critical of national political leadership for inflaming political divisions.

“Leadership starts at the top and sets a tone for the country,” Arena-DeRosa stated in his letter. “It does not serve the country to have bullying, threats, derogatory references and name-calling coming out of the oval office.”

Divisive rhetoric at local level

In his letter, Mirabile stated that he had reached out to Amy Groves, chair of the Hopkinton Democratic Town Committee, as well as Arena-DeRosa, to begin the process of building better relationships between the town’s political organizations. A meeting between the HRTC and the HDTC was in the works as of early October, and Mirabile said the goal of such a meeting is still open-ended.

“I like to go into these discussions open-minded and sort of see where the discussions lead,” he said. He added that he hoped the discussion would bear fruit regarding where all parties agree on issues that are important to the betterment of the town.

Groves agreed that a sit-down between the groups could be valuable. “I think it’s rarely a bad idea to have a conversation, and never a bad idea to drink coffee,” she stated in an email. She added that opportunities exist for both committees to conduct service-based projects for local organizations.

However, Groves wondered how effective local conversations could be at quelling divisive political rhetoric.

“I’m certainly in favor of discouraging hate speech and personal attacks, but I think the social media platforms and administrators probably have a lot more influence on individuals’ behavior than we do,” she stated.

Groves also expressed concern over choosing this moment of political violence in the light of others that have taken place in the last few years. In a comment responding to Mirabile’s letter, she referenced both the killing of Democratic Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband earlier this year, along with the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, in 2022.

“A letter delivered at either of those times would have displayed both grace and fairness,” Groves stated in her comment. “As it is, I’m afraid your letter is nicely written but poorly timed.”

Regarding choosing this moment to speak out, Mirabile noted that political violence is not a new phenomenon. “Unfortunately, there’s a string of events of violence that we can point to and go through,” he said. “There’s no shortage of events.”

Mirabile — who did not mention the Hortman or Pelosi incidents in his letter — went on to say it was the fact that Kirk’s murder occurred in front of “hundreds of students sitting by … to exchange dialogue” that moved him. His letter cautioned that the killing was an attempt to silence free speech.

Both Groves and Mirabile agreed that it is necessary to address the violence. Mirabile encouraged exploring why individuals act out with violence at political figures. “Whatever’s driving these individuals to do what they do, as a society I think we’ve got to figure that out,” he said.

Groves advocated for addressing the societal conditions that drive such acts. “We need to make sure our government promotes the general welfare and makes it possible for all of us to engage in the pursuit of happiness,” she stated. “When people are secure and happy, they are less likely to target others.”

“The only way to calm the negative rhetoric is to fix the underlying problem that drives it,” Groves added.

Part of the HDTC’s work on addressing those societal conditions consists of ongoing protests at the Town Common. The committee has organized protests in partnership with regional and national organizations multiple times this year to advocate for women’s right and regime change, along with honoring the nonviolent work of leaders like the late Rep. John Lewis. The HDTC will host another rally at the Town Common on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 2:30-4 p.m. as part of a nationwide day of nonviolent protests called No Kings Day of Action.

Mirabile’s focus in whatever conversations happen moving forward is to keep it local.

“You can only do what you can do at a local level,” he said. “There’s a lot going on nationally that we have some influence on, but not a lot.”