New Actor: SDS mobilizes UVU protests against Kirk memorial

Students for a Democratic Society at Utah Valley University, joined by the Community Defense Club of UVU and The Black Menaces, plans to protest outside the UCCU Center on Thursday evening as Turning Point USA holds its “Freedom Built to Last” memorial. Their open letter urges UVU to revoke TPUSA’s booking and bar the event from campus. The letter had at least 483 student signatures earlier in the week and had grown to more than 600 by Wednesday.

Ahead of the protest, SDS held a de‑escalation training, instructing participants not to bring weapons, keep faces uncovered, and avoid confrontation. In an earlier planning discussion, a student leader also described making entry to the event as uncomfortable as possible for attendees. Organizers say they intend the demonstration to remain peaceful.

UVU canceled classes for the day and says the closure is for reflection and service, not an endorsement, and that the memorial is not university‑sponsored. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. MT; entry requires tickets, ID, magnetometers and bag checks, with K‑9 sweeps and a tight bag policy that bans signs and banners inside. UVU says there will be a heightened security presence, with the renter primarily handling security inside the arena and local police managing the outside.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources