For most students, the day began like any other: go to second period, then tutorial, have lunch, talk to friends, go to clubs… all in all, a regular Wednesday. Then, during tutorial, the news breaks—Charlie Kirk has been shot and killed at a Utah University.
The San Mateo Hi spoke with students and staff not only about their reaction to Charlie Kirk’s assasination on September 10, but also other acts of recent political violence. These include the murder of two Israeli embassy workers, the murder of minnesotan lawmakers and so many more horrifying incidents over the last five years.
“I didn’t agree with him,” Bryce Quarry, a student at SMHS, says, “but he had a wife, and kids, he didn’t deserve to die.” “If you have morals and believe that we should end gun violence, don’t take a break from it for Charlie Kirk” adds Selena Lai, a freshman at SMHS.
Zoe Frandzel, a sophomore, agrees saying “I think it’s wrong, people shouldn’t have to die for their heritage or beliefs.”
Casey Teague, a history teacher at San Mateo High School, sees historical parallels from this assasination, mentioning that it’s similar to the 1960s: “during that decade there have been noted political assassinations.” He adds that, although “I find the situation around Mr. Kirk’s death unfortunate, [it is] not beyond the realm of what seems to be capable in the United States of America in the 21st Century.”
Dave Pirie, an SMHS English teacher, similarly believes that the U.S. “has a high tolerance for violence in general . . . gun violence, domestic violence, sexual violence—we’re the violent society.”
It is clear that both SMHS students and staff see Kirk’s death as violent and tragic, and it makes us pause and all ask “why is violence normalized in the United States?”