Ohio student charged with terroristic threat for threatening to ‘kirk’ pro-life organization; insensitive Charlie Kirk jokes face backlash 

A 19-year-old Miami University of Ohio student has been arrested and charged with a felony terroristic threat for threatening to “kirk” a pro-life student table on campus.

Alixandra Patterson allegedly threatened a Students for Life of America table set up in Armstrong, a campus hub where students study and eat, on Oct. 28. Patterson allegedly posted the threat to the “Miami Ohio” group on Yik Yak, an anonymous social media platform popular among Miami students.

“How many dining dollars to kirk the anti abortion table in Armstrong,” the anonymous post asked, referring to the currency Miami students can use to pay for food on campus.

The threat’s use of “kirk” likely references the assassination of Charlie Kirk last year.

Josie Zimmerman, president of Students for Life at Miami University, said in a statement that the pro-life group regularly receives hateful comments on Yik Yak but usually does not take them seriously.

“We don’t really take it too seriously until something like this happens and then we remember that there are people that wouldn’t mind if we were harmed because of what we believe,” Zimmerman said.

“Suggesting that students be killed over their views is not a joke and it is not free speech,” Miami University College Republicans Chairman Drew Belcher said in the statement. “Every student at Miami should be able to share their views without fearing for their life.”

Patterson was arrested last week for the alleged threat and remains in custody at the Butler County jail in Ohio. Her bond has been set at $170,000, and she is facing 13 charges.

The charges include inducing panic and making a terroristic threat, a felony, as well as several counts of aggravated menacing and telecommunications harassment, according to court documents.

Heartlander News reached out to the Miami University Police Department and Butler County Sheriff’s Office for comment.

Recent mockery of Charlie Kirk’s death

The terms “kirk” and “kirked” have gained popularity as ways to express a desire to harm someone because of their political beliefs. Several media personalities have also made headlines recently for making insensitive comments about Kirk’s assassination more than a year after his death.

“I’ve been on campuses for the past three weeks alongside Turning Point USA on my fall tour,” Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins told Fox News. “There are signs saying we are filming in this area, yet there will be students who will stand beside me and call me Mrs. Kirk, and they’ll use the verb ‘Kirked’ over and over again.”

Comedian Dave Chappelle mentioned Kirk Saturday during his show at Madison Square Garden and appeared to celebrate his death.

“Ever since that guy Charlie Kirk got murdered,” Chappelle said, pausing as the audience applauded.

“I shouldn’t say this publicly but – I feel better,” he continued, referencing Kirk’s murder. “It’s just a feeling. I didn’t ask to feel this way. I’ll just be driving around like: why am I in such a good mood?”

In another case, Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan, hosts of the political commentary podcast I’ve Had It, laughed about a joke posted to social media last week regarding Kirk’s assassination.

“We’re digging up Charlie Kirk and doing it again,” the post read, prompting laughter from the hosts.

The podcast has lost at least 30 sponsors over the incident, according to a Texas investigative reporter’s social media post.

The podcast posted a public apology for the “insensitive joke,” but Sullivan subsequently told Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk founded, to “f*** off,” according to Fox News.

Kirk’s wife, Erika Kirk, responded on social media to the growing number of callous comments about her husband’s murder.

“To see leftist podcasters, comedians, and commentators laugh about political assassination as though it’s entertainment and the destruction of a human life is a punchline, is beyond disgusting,” said Kirk, who has since taken over TPUSA.

“You do not have to agree with someone’s politics to recognize the value of their life. This should not be so hard.”

In other TPUSA news, a video showing a person tearing down an American flag at a TPUSA campus event in Texas has also been circulating.

The man accused of Kirk’s murder, Tyler Robinson, 23, is set to stand trial in Utah beginning June 21, 2028. Robinson, who has pleaded not guilty to seven counts, could face the death penalty if convicted of aggravated murder, according to the BBC.

(Photo credits: Butler County Jail; Screenshot/Facebook/Charlie Kirk)