The St. Louis County Council rejected a resolution proposed Tuesday by Republican Councilman Mark Harder to honor conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The resolution was rejected 5-2 with all four of the Democratic council members voting against it along with Republican Dennis Hancock.
"If there are people in our community that feel marginalized by what he's said … because they were said in a way that was not meant to honor people or to encourage them to think but simply to hurt them, I can't support that," Hancock said. "I wouldn't support it if it was anybody."
Republican Councilman Michael Archer and Harder voted for the resolution.
"Honoring his work and his tragic death isn't about politics," Harder said. "It's about the principle of recognizing a man who was dedicated to making a difference and ultimately losing his life to an assassin's bullet while practicing his free speech rights."
Seven people spoke in favor of the resolution and 13 spoke against it during the public forum of the weekly council meeting.
More than 50 people attended the meeting.
Harder moved to extend the public comment period past its 45-minute limit to allow everyone to speak.
Many of those who backed the resolution said they supported Kirk's Christian beliefs and urged the council to pass the measure as a message against political violence.
State Rep. David Casteel, R-High Ridge, said during the public forum that the council had an opportunity to set an example by approving the resolution.
"The example would be that the St. Louis County Council does not condone public executions regardless of the victim's party and affiliation," Casteel said.
Members of the public opposed to the resolution said Kirk targeted minority groups, and some used their three-minute comment period to exclusively read quotes from Kirk.
The NAACP and the St. Louis County and St. Louis chapters of the Ethical Society of Police, which work to address race-based discrimination, issued statements condemning the resolution before the vote on Tuesday.
County Executive Sam Page spoke briefly about Kirk during his report before leaving the meeting.
"I want to unequivocally condemn the murder of Charlie Kirk," Page said. "In condemning the killing I want to recognize that Charlie's opinions are very different from mine."
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