A Vigil And A Protest — Parallel events in Douglas both focused on freedom of speech
DOUGLAS — According to the National Institute of Health, humans are hard wired to point out differences and negatives in one another. This can also apply to Republicans and Democrats, who seem to rarely look for commonalities between them.
However, during an evening vigil for Charlie Kirk Oct. 14 and a daytime "No Kings" protest Oct. 18 – both in Jackalope Square in Douglas – a few positive points stood out: There was plenty of support for freedom of speech for their fellow citizens on both sides of the pulpit, regardless of political alignment, as well as empathy for what Americans are going through in these tough economic times.
The vigil
American right-wing political activist, entrepreneur, and media personality Charlie Kirk co-founded conservative student organization Turning Point USA in 2012, serving as its executive director until he was shot and killed in a campus courtyard on Sept. 10 in Orem, Utah.
President Donald Trump declared Oct. 14 as the National Day of Remembrance for Kirk, and millions of people gathered on that day to honor Kirk’s life. Several church congregations were on hand in Douglas.
Douglas Assembly of God Pastor Brian Rossignol said the purpose of the gathering was to “Honor the life of Charlie Kirk, as well as come together as a community.
“Many people have been touched by the sudden death of Charlie, who was such a young man, but also took a bold stand for truth and was influencing so many lives. The goal of the vigil was to bring the community together for prayer, worship and encouragement.”
Just how many churches were represented at the event is unclear, but Rossignol shared that many churches were represented, based on attendance. It is estimated that at least 250 people from Douglas and Glenrock were there.
“The main churches involved were Unity Christian Fellowship, First Baptist Church, The Gathering Place, Grace Fellowship and Douglas Assembly of God. They formed the worship team, and the pastors of these churches were involved with prayer and encouragement,” said Rossignol.
Following a litany of modern worship songs, keynote speaker Gabe Saint, a Douglas native and the chapter president of Turning Point USA for the University of Wyoming, spoke about his friendship with Kirk, freedom of speech, and his own relationship with Jesus Christ.
Saint started out by saying that for his generation, the assassination of Charlie Kirk was comparable to the terrorist attacks on 9/11.
Saint worked with Kirk through Turning Point, when Kirk invited the UW chapter members to “sit down . . . to just talk about what we were going through (on campus),” he said.
“My buddy Noah Scott and I, and we start talking to Charlie, telling him about all these things on campus.” Saint said. “I was like, ‘Charlie, man, I don’t know why these people hate me so much. I don’t feel like I’m that controversial. I’m just speaking truth. You know, God made people, male and female. Life is life at the moment of conception. I think these are basic truths in the state of Wyoming. We’re the most right wing state in the country. Why is it like this?’
“And he goes, ‘You know, Gabe, it’s tough . . . You should be encouraged that you feel this way, that people are calling you a transphobe, homophobic, racist, bigot, and all the things that most conservative activists get called, us Christians get called. That just goes to show that you have a heart, that you’re not like some of these people who are just willing to throw insults at you,and that it hurts you... go back to Laramie and just keep fighting every day,’” Saint recounted.
Rossignol said he was most affected when he heard of Kirk’s death.
“I have always admired Mr. Kirk’s courageous stand for the gospel and his willingness to face harsh opposition in doing so. When I first heard of the shooting, I was hopeful that he would survive, but when it became obvious that he wouldn’t, I was deeply saddened,” Rossignol said. “My heart really went out to his very young family and how his death would impact them. But I also knew that Charlie, having such unshakable faith, was not suffering, but was in heaven receiving his eternal reward.”
Rossignol said that while he is just one person speaking, he believes the community as a whole came together for the Kirk vigil.
“That is what I love about this community,” he said. “I really appreciate pastors like Sara Philippi (The Gathering Place), Zach Andrews (First Bap- tist Church), Matt Fox (Unity Christian Fellowship) and Ed Rafferty (Grace Fellowship) for their willingness to come together and work together on this project. Another key person was Deanna Byler, who spearheaded this event. She put up social media and published the flyers and helped spread the word.”
Rossingnol also said it is important to note that the vigil was not about advancing a political agenda, but advancing the mission of Christ and inspiring others to take the same kind of bold stand that Kirk did.
“That they wouldn’t be ashamed of their faith in Christ, but that they would boldly live out that faith, not passively pretending to be Christians, but to boldly live like Christians, loving their neighbor and sharing truth. My hope is that people walked away inspired and encouraged,” he said.
"No Kings" protest
Douglas resident Vickie Goodwin and others, armed with smiles and "No Kings" signs of protest, gathered in Jackalope Square Saturday morning despite the blowing, cold wet snow to take part in a nationwide "No Kings" demonstration.
Folks were expected to take part from Casper, Douglas, Glenrock and possibly even Wheatland, according to the "No Kings" online registration.
The peaceful gathering by those citizens who say Trump’s behavior is more like that of a king or a dictator, rather than that of a president of the United States, drew in millions of people across America, according to the Associated Press.
Douglas’ cadre was a bit smaller with approximately 50- 60 people, but large enough to get noticed by several passers by who either honked their vehicle horns in support or spoke sign language, showing the protesters their middle fingers as they drove by Jackalope Square.
Such negativity didn’t bring down the high spirits of those who embraced the winter weather while practicing their freedom of speech.
Goodwin confirmed the positive and negative reactions the group received.
“We had a few one-finger salutes,” she said. “One pickup drove by several times (flipping off the protesters), and a thumbs-down from one vehicle. Some people just looked straight ahead. We had far more cars that drove by honking and with (people) waving. We realize there are different points of view and we celebrate free speech.”
However, she said the best part of the protest was when a woman who was driving by with her daughters stopped her car and joined the group “because she realized she wasn’t alone.”
Someone played protest songs on a cell phone and there was camaraderie among those participating, ranging in ages from 7 to 80-plus years old.
Goodwin said several participants were in costumes, many of them sang and danced, and one youngster even brought a machine to release bubbles into the group. Another couple arrived in a large, camouflaged Army truck.
“People are saying we are anti-government, but this was planned a long time before the government shut down. We are, however, concerned about the possibility of 20,000-plus Wyomingites losing healthcare at the beginning of the year.”
Goodwin said she signed up to host a "No Kings" protest in Douglas because she believes it’s important.
“This country doesn’t belong to billionaires, it belongs to us. We feel like the current president is acting an awful lot like a king or a dictator,” she said.
“Basically I’m saying, ‘We reject authori- tarian rule. We believe in the rule of law.’ Sending federal troops into our cities . . . into a town – is an awful lot more like a dictator or a king,” she said. “Just because somebody, somewhere, said something that offended people in power is not a reason to send federal troops into our town and cities . . . following people out in the middle of the night and zip-tying children like some of those things that have happened in Chicago.
“(Trump) has depicted himself as a king in some of his AI (memes) . . . I don’t look at that kind of stuff too much, but I’ve seen a little. He behaves more like a dictator. When a president acts like a king, such as, ‘I’m in charge here and you guys will do it the way I said you will do it,’ that’s not what I consider the behavior of a U.S. president. It is like the behavior of a dictator,” she said.
She said she has laughed at a lot of past presidents, whether she supported that particular president or not.
“It seems like you can’t be making jokes now. It is not allowed. He’s shutting down free speech,” she said.
After the protest ended and cleanup was done, Goodwin said she was asked if the group could do a protest every weekend.
“Well, maybe not every weekend. Yes, we will be back and we will protest again, because our freedoms are important to all of us,” she said. “We believe in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. You know, one of my favorite quotes is attributed to Mark Twain, who said, ‘Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it.’”
This story was published on Oct. 22, 2025.