Author’s Note: I serve as a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapter president, but the views expressed here are my own. What follows reflects my personal experience as a Texas State student who organized the memorial and witnessed the events of that day.
When Turning Point USA at Texas State hosted a memorial for Charlie Kirk after his assassination in mid-September, I expected a solemn day of prayer, reflection, and conversation. Instead, more than a hundred people crowded the free speech area, the Stallions, yelling and screaming at our members and visitors paying their respects.
This wasn’t a so-called “peaceful counter protest.” It was a riot.
One of the most disruptive students, Devion Canty, Jr., staged a graphic re-enactment of Kirk’s assassination, mockingly portraying Kirk’s death.
This was at Texas State @txst a Charlie Kirk memorial event hosted by local TPUSA chapter. Student imitates Charlie Kirk’s death and mocks him, goes up to statue where TPUSA members are and imitates his death again, and spits near them. Also uses a vape/weed pen near end of video… pic.twitter.com/mVOHeh1jpk
— TheTexasOne (@TexasRepublic71) September 16, 2025
That video, however, doesn’t capture the whole story.
[RELATED: Charlie Kirk Fought for an Education That Restores American Faith and Values]
Canty also tore up student property, ripped posters out of our hands, got into a fight with another student while trying to take a sign, and repeatedly violated university policy by smoking in the crowd and blowing the smoke in people’s faces. He also told us we deserved what happened to Kirk.
Canty now claims on his GoFundMe page that he was “forced” to withdraw from Texas State “for [his] own safety and the well-being of the campus community,” and he portrays himself as a victim wrongly labeled as an “out-of-control, disrespectful young Black man”:
Recently, I faced a situation where I had to choose between immediate expulsion or withdrawing from the university. I made the decision to withdraw—not because I wanted to leave, but for my own safety and the well-being of the campus community.
Canty also alleges that TPUSA members spat on him, used racial slurs, cursed at women, and pushed people:
Unfortunately, the only public narrative out there is that I am an ‘out-of-control, disrespectful young Black man.’ In reality, I am a passionate student who made a mistake in the heat of the moment after being repeatedly disrespected—spit on, called racial slurs, and witnessing women being cursed at and pushed around. I spoke up, and while I recognize my actions weren’t perfect, I did not harm anyone.
These claims against TPUSA are false.
The only student subjected to racial hostility at the memorial was our TPUSA chapter vice president, a black woman who stood beside me holding signs and praying for Kirk and his family. Leftist protesters shouted that she “wasn’t black” because of her conservative views and told us to “kill yourselves” and “end up like Charlie.”
Despite the evidence, Canty has accused our chapter of racism, and campus groups have amplified this narrative. His GoFundMe, which has raised over $34,000, has been promoted by organizations like Black Men United (BMU), which urged donations and claimed Canty was unfairly forced to withdraw, while ignoring his disruptive behavior at the memorial.
The administration in a completely unprofessional and unprecedented manner presented him with a ‘Mafia’ style option of withdraw or be expelled. Mr. Canty earned his way into this university and deserved better treatment and due process from the university. We demand not only that he is allowed to return as a student but that the students who spewed racial vitriol at him at the statues are expelled immediately as they are the TRUE danger to this campus!
This statement flips reality backwards. The only racial vitriol at the memorial came from Canty’s side, directed at my vice president and others.
After Governor Greg Abbott re-shared a video from the memorial on X and called for Canty’s expulsion, Canty doubled down on his story. The University Star, Texas State’s student newspaper, published an article portraying Canty as a student who withdrew for his safety, amplifying his misleading narrative while minimizing his disruptive behavior.
Hey Texas State.
This conduct is not accepted at our schools.
Expel this student immediately.
Mocking assassination must have consequences. https://t.co/lR0ovIDLBL
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) September 16, 2025
[RELATED: UofL’s Selective Empathy]
Canty was not punished for his opinions or his race. He was held accountable for his behavior, given the choice to withdraw or face immediate expulsion.
Meanwhile, his GoFundMe has turned this into a lucrative payday, raising tens of thousands of dollars on a false premise, and the public deserves to know that Canty’s narrative is misleading.
I am a witness to what really happened, and I’m tired of watching media outlets and leftist campus groups amplify a false story while ignoring the harassment and threats we endured.
Kirk was murdered, and while TPUSA members were mourning his death, a mob of screaming students, including Canty, told us we deserved the same fate. That is not courage; it is hatred masquerading as victimhood.
Follow Leona Salinas on X.
Image by Leona Salinas
