“I said I was going to be done for the rest of the semester and that I wasn’t going to any more schools,” she said. “Two days later, I messaged Justin Streiff, our COO and said, ‘We need to go back on campus.’”
In response to Kirk’s killing, Utah Valley University officials have begun what they described as a “comprehensive independent review.” The campus police chief said that six campus police officers were on duty, but attendees speaking to local news outlet KSL and ABC News said bags brought by students and others were seemingly not checked upon entry. The event was held outdoors and the department has not said if nearby rooftops were inspected.
“We already had extremely tight security on our indoor events but that will be increasing even more now,” Clark said. “Every single person, even employees, have to go through two security checkpoints. There are metal detectors, bags are heavily inspected, and we have increased police presence by a lot,” she added in a text.
Kaitlin Griffiths, the 19-year-old president of the Turning Point chapter at Utah State, where Clark will be speaking next week, said she’s been handling communications between the organization and her school ahead of the event.
“There’s always that worry when it comes to political events like that,” she said. “I do think that I have trust in the security teams that will be there, and it is an indoor event, so it has the ability to be more controlled.”
Griffiths, who said there will be a no-bag policy for attendees, still voiced some apprehension about the fact it would be open dialogue.
“Governor Spencer Cox is going to be speaking at this event, and he gets quite a bit of backlash in our state, from the left and right sides,” she said. “I do think that there will be a lot of debate and questioning when it comes to things that he’s done.”
Not all attendees are voicing similar caution. Owen Hurd, the treasurer of the Turning Point chapter at Indiana University Bloomington said the organization is excited to welcome Carlson to campus in just under a month. “We’re not nervous at all,” he said. “We will not be intimidated by anyone who chooses to threaten our chapter or oppose this event.”
Allie Beth Stuckey, a conservative commentator and podcaster with an Instagram following of 763,000 at the time of publishing, who will be speaking at Louisiana State University on October 27, struck a different tone. Stuckey has heightened security for her Christian women’s event, Share the Arrows, taking place in Dallas on October 11.
“I’m matching my courage with prudence,” she said. “While this tragedy has increased our caution, it’s also deepened our resolve.”
