The day earlier than he was horrifically murdered, Charlie Kirk despatched me a direct message on X.
He and I had been sparring publicly over the killing of a Ukrainian refugee and its relationship to race.
He stated the ugly killing of a White lady by a Black man was motivated solely by anti-White hatred. I denounced these feedback on CNN as unfounded. He went on TV and denounced MY denunciation. Then he unleashed a firehose of tweets, difficult my argument.
Kirk’s pushback sparked a web based torrent of racist demise threats in opposition to me, the likes of which I’ve not often seen.
Issues have been critically heading off the rails.
Then — in the midst of all this — Charlie Kirk reached out.
Charlie Kirk’s stunning message
He invited me to return on his present to speak with him. He wrote:
“Hey, Van, I imply it, I’d like to have you ever on my present to have a respectful dialog about crime and race. I might be a gentleman as I do know you’ll be as properly. We are able to disagree concerning the points agreeably.”
A direct message from conservative activist Charlie Kirk to Van Jones, a day earlier than Kirk was shot and killed at a talking occasion. – Van Jones
Sadly, earlier than I may even reply, Charlie Kirk was killed — seemingly assassinated for the phrases he’s spoken, although the killer’s actual motives are nonetheless being investigated.
I’ve taken difficulty with a lot of these phrases — generally strongly — however by no means his proper to talk them. By no means his proper to precise these views after which go dwelling to his household. That could be a sacred American worth.
Condemning homicide shouldn’t be laborious
So it was not laborious for me to sentence his homicide — instantly, with out qualification and in unconditional phrases.
That afternoon I tweeted:
“Immediately’s assault on Charlie Kirk is completely horrifying and heartbreaking. He fought with phrases not weapons. There isn’t a place for political violence in our society and people accountable should be swiftly dropped at justice. My prayers are with Charlie’s family members, the traumatized college students at Utah Valley College and all who’ve been impacted by this mindless act.”
Political homicide is incorrect, interval. I used to be born in 1968 — into a rustic being torn aside by riots and assassinations. I don’t wish to return to that. None of us ought to.
In actual fact: Kirk’s homicide provides us all cause to return again to the desk for dialogue. There’s a rising tide of political violence that has already swept away his life and plenty of others’ lives, from each the Left and the Proper.
Violence like this could compel individuals in each events to show down the warmth, search widespread floor and search for off-ramps from the vitriol — as Kirk was doing with me, the day earlier than he died.
Charlie Kirk opposed censorship and ‘civil conflict’
However as an alternative, the alternative is going on. Individuals are utilizing his horrific assassination to name for MORE violence — justifying homicide and even calling for a civil conflict! Authorities officers are utilizing his killing as an excuse to censor and silence dissent.
Maintain up! Wait a minute!
That’s NOT the best way Charlie Kirk dealt with disagreement. In no way.
When our public dispute began going sideways, what was Kirk’s response?
He pushed for extra dialog, no more silencing or censorship.
He pushed for extra civility, no more stridency or venom.
No matter you consider Kirk’s legacy, that straightforward truth is commendable — and it’s one thing that everybody ought to uphold and search to duplicate.
If you’re on the Proper, please don’t surrender on open debate and dialogue. Charlie didn’t. I gained’t. And I make the identical plea to of us on the Left.
Don’t get tricked into violence
And no matter aspect you’re on, don’t let your self get whipped up into believing that political violence is the best way. Let’s be actual: A lot of the of us on-line calling for homicide and mayhem couldn’t win a struggle with a housefly. They fake to be badasses who’re able to storm the barricades.
Most aren’t.
And for what it’s value: You may assume we HATE one another on TV and on-line. However for probably the most half, we don’t. We debate laborious. We attempt to win elections. Alongside the best way, we generally piss one another off.
However we don’t want hurt on one another. We don’t need extra bloodshed in our nation. We don’t need extra funerals in America. Most pundits and influencers are NOT attempting to spark some form of civil conflict. We’re simply doing our jobs and fulfilling our callings, as greatest we are able to. That’s all.
When issues get out of hand, often any individual calls any individual. We attempt to speak. We search restore. As a result of we every simply need to have the ability to say our piece and get dwelling to our children. That’s it.
Please — everybody — take into account taking an identical method in your individual place and area. Let’s get off this scary path that we’re on. Let’s resolve — in Charlie Kirk’s phrases — to “disagree concerning the points agreeably.”
The suitable strategy to struggle
For all our variations, neither Charlie nor I ever wished to see the opposite particular person harmed or silenced.
On the contrary: I might have wished to beat Charlie Kirk intellectually — by out-debating him. I might have wished to see progressives beat him politically — by out-organizing him.
Neither job would have been straightforward. Charlie Kirk was probably the greatest debaters and organizers of our age. However that may have been the fitting approach for us to deal with our variations.
That’s what was on the desk when he messaged me on Tuesday of final week.
Sadly, a coward’s bullet robbed conservatives of a rising expertise, progressives of a worthy opponent and a household of a loving father.
Within the wake of that homicide, Individuals have a option to make.
We are able to select to go the best way of extra violence, extra outrage and extra censorship — if we wish to.
But when we select censorship and civil conflict, we can not blame that alternative on Charlie Kirk!
From his final 24 hours, I’ve the proof that he wished to go a really totally different approach.
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