Enfield Leaders From Both Sides Unite Over Kirk Assassination

ENFIELD, CT — In a bipartisan show of unity, Enfield's Republican mayor and the town council's top-ranking Democrat offered condemnation of the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last week.

Both Enfield Republican Mayor Ken Nelson Jr. and Enfield Democratic Minority Leader John Santanella signed a joint statement condemning the horrific events last week in Utah.

Kirk, 31, was gruesomely shot and killed Sept. 10 in front of a crowd of college students in Utah last week, allegedly by a 22-year-old suspect.

Kirk himself was a controversial figure for his support of deeply conservative ideologies that some critics contended were racist, misogynistic, and promoted gun violence.

In their joint statement, issued late last week, Nelson and Santanella set aside their political differences to decry what happened last week and what has been happening in the country.

"We stand together in strong condemnation of the rising political violence across the country," the duo wrote.

"There is no place in a civil society for behavior that threatens our political process — violence of any kind is never an acceptable form of disagreement.

"Though the two of us often find ourselves on opposite sides of issues, we share a common belief in our democracy. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose, and, ultimately, it is the people who elect us who decide how we are governed."

In their joint statement, the duo also referenced the murder of Democratic lawmaker Melissa Hortmann in Minnesota, who was killed along with her husband in their home earlier this year.

They said democracy depends on one's ability to engage in free speech without fear.

They urged the community to simply lead by example and refrain from heavily divisive rhetoric.

"We ask all of you, regardless of party or position, to treat one another with respect," Nelson and Santanella wrote. "Uphold the freedoms we share. We will not tolerate political violence in our community. This is not who we are in Enfield, and it is not who we want to be."

From Sept. 16: 'Farmington School Official Takes Heat Following Kirk's Assassination'

From Sept. 11: 'Simsbury Dems Deny Social Media Post Celebrating Kirk's Assassination'

From Sept. 10: 'Cowardly Act Of Evil': CT Reacts After Conservative Activist Charlie Kirk Is Shot Dead At University Event'