Turning Point event in Redding draws modest crowd, small protest
While community conversation leading up to the “Faith Night” was highly politicized, speakers at the event mostly shared personal stories about God, with little political content outside of a video screening and posters displayed by Turning Point USA.
James, 19 years old and a native of Cottonwood, stood tall in a suit-and-tie, chatting with his little brother Ezra in the lobby of the Redding Civic Auditorium before a Turning Point USA event yesterday evening.
Nearby were several booths. Some had informational pamphlets from a local bible college and others, staffed by Turning Point USA representatives, displayed posters. One read “OUR LECTURE HALL IS NOT YOUR SOAPBOX,” illustrated by a drawing of an angry college professor backgrounded by pride flags.
Neither brother was officially a part of TPUSA, but both expressed their curiosity and support for the organization’s message as they spoke to Shasta Scout on Saturday evening. “God is sovereign over the entire Earth, and that includes the government,” James said, when asked why he had shown up to attend. He added that he hoped to meet people who felt similarly.
Termed a “Faith Night,” the local gathering was organized by TPUSA chapters at both Shasta College and Simpson University. Since the event was first promoted online in January, it has driven strong debate about TPUSA’s ethics from different camps within Shasta’s political landscape. After being endorsed by Republican leadership, the event was condemned by various anti-Trump protest groups who accused TPUSA of promoting what they described as extremist politics.
Amid the swirling political tension, one thing seemed likely: that the event would draw a significant number of both attendees and protesters. On Thursday, Julie Dyar, who manages the Civic Auditorium where the event was held, told Shasta Scout her team was planning for 1800 attendees. But on Feb. 7, only about 400 showed up, leaving three-fourths of the auditorium’s seating empty.
Outside the facility, a modest crowd of around 50 protesters held signs by the auditorium’s entrance. They included some Shasta College students who expressed their belief that TPUSA represents the agenda of the Trump administration, whose attitude toward immigrants they characterized as early-stage genocidal.
Another protester and Simpson University staff member said she supported TPUSA’s right to engage students politically, but took issue with the event using faith as an entry point, something which she described as disingenuous.
Thirty-year-old Shasta County local Haley Renard shared her point of view as someone who grew up as an evangelical Christian. “I feel like there’s this movement from [TPUSA] saying the LGBTQ+ community is indoctrinating our children,” Renard said, “but then fully failing to see how this is the exact same thing but on the opposite side of the fence.”
The vast majority of protesters carried signs calling for peaceful political change, but one individual, Oliver Hernandez, stood alone holding a sign that read “WATCH YA NECK,” a phrase he said was a reference to a Wu Tang Clan song and not meant to be threatening or disrespectful. The sign concerned some of the other protesters who told Shasta Scout the intimidating tone wasn’t welcome at the event.
A small group of counter protesters who came over to confront Hernandez, agreed. “People are coming here for Charlie, and for Turning Point, and that sign is showing so much violence,” one said, adding that the sign was offensive because it seemed to reference the gunning down of TPUSA’s founder, Charlie Kirk, who was shot in the neck.
Not far from the protesters, Danny Gomes waved a flag as his children ran and played, saying he was there to show support for Kirk as attendees arrived. Peyton, another TPUSA attendee who chose not to share his last name, briefly joined those at the protest line, but only to shout out a message of salvation.
Nearby, a passing pickup truck purposefully revved its engines on the street near protesters, expelling thick clouds of black exhaust in their faces. Shortly after, a Redding police vehicle that had been staging with others in a parking lot nearby, moved into position mid-street in front of the protesters with lights flashing.
As cars rolled into the auditorium parking lot, attendees walked through metal detectors to check in at the entrance. The event began with an introductory worship session before the most politically charged portion of the event began — a 7-minute video introduction produced by TPUSA.
Eulogizing slain founder Kirk, the video used AI-generated dramatizations of Revolutionary War soldiers in battle against a continuum of apparent enemies of the American people: Confederate soldiers, the Third Reich, antifa-style protesters with rifles, and guerillas from countries the U.S. has invaded, occupied, and bombed, such as Afghanistan and Vietnam. The next portion of the video displayed a rapid-fire montage of AI renderings that also seemed designed to invoke America’s apparent political enemies — including Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Adolf Hitler, Bernie Sanders, Ilhan Omar, and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez.
“We are in a spiritual war, everybody, that is beyond just the material that we are seeing,” Kirk’s voice boomed, as the video echoed through the auditorium. “This country was founded by courageous Bible-believing Christians.”
From the dramatic fanfare of the TPUSA video, the event quickly transitioned into something more like a Sunday morning service at a local megachurch. First Dr. Daniel Sloane gave an invocation, followed by a speech from Evan Jones, the 17-year-old president of Simpson University’s TPUSA chapter. He shared about his own spiritual commitments saying, “instead of chasing girls, instead of chasing money and chasing attention and worldly pleasures, I chose to chase God.” His words elicited a few cheers from the audience.
Next, Jim Wadleigh, the former manager of the Redding Municipal Airport, delivered a half-hour testimony detailing his career and a concurrent battle with alcohol, speaking at length about his professional successes as well as how he rediscovered his faith.
Last was a homily from Tom Crandall, an evangelist and minister at Bethel Church who also helped organize a local Kirk vigil in the weeks after the assassination last year. Following the template of a typical Bethel message — which in the past, have occurred in this very auditorium when the church contracted the facility for use by the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry — Crandall spoke about his own meanderings as a young man before he truly committed to God.
Crandall then called worshipers in the audience, if they felt inclined, to approach the stage. About a dozen migrated toward the front of the auditorium while other attendees slowly trickled out the doors. Well past sunset, some protesters remained by the exit, holding their signs on the darkened street as TPUSA participants drove past on their way home.
Do you have a correction to share? Email us: editor@shastascout.org.
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Nevin, your article reported 400 people attended the TPUSA event and there were 50 protesters outside. Today’s Record Searchlight reported 900-1000 people attended the event and there were more than 100 protesters outside. Do you know why the discrepancy in numbers?
Are they seriously using AI CK these days? I am dying to know if anyone was monitoring GRNDR !
“Our lecture hall is not your soap box” is pretty hypocritical coming from the group that wants to make prayer mandatory in public schools. Our schools are not your church.
Our lecture hall is not your Hell either
The poster “Revive the American Family” is offensive to me as it suggests a set of value that existed in the 1950’s. The desire of the far right to return to women staying at home and being “barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen” is obsolete. Both the economic need for most families to have two earners and the equality of women make this scene in the poster, a regression into an age of inequality that is not good for anyone, in my opinion.
You overlook the importance of a woman holding the home and family together and the growing ranks of women who reject the false promises made by feminism. Many women like the traditional role you think is antiquated. I spoil my wife. My wife spoils me. This lifestyle encourages this. She can concentrate on our daughter’s education and volunteering for every field trip and school event because she doesnt have to go to work. When she was barefoot and preganant she glowed. She has become an expert chef and thanks me every day for sparing her from the bs that comes w chasing money.
Feminism never forced women into the workplace. It does fight for the right for women to hold the same jobs, for the same pay if they have the same qualifications as men. Because of the push be feminists before me, I can have a bank account and a credit card in my own name without having to have my husband or father co-sign for me as if I were a child. I have no issues with a woman choosing to stay home and spoil her husband, if that is what she wants to do and the family’s finances make it feasible. However, certain right wing Christians would like to put those barriers back up or worse yet, mandate that women stay home where ‘God says they should be’.
A person’s religion can dictate THEIR life, not everyone else’s, certainly not the country’s.
Perfectly stated!!!
How does a poster of a man, a woman, and two small children suggest to you that women should be ‘barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen’?
I find this and similar images as rejections of society’s moves toward gender equality. Equality coupled to the economic needs for a family to have two people earning money to support an economically middle class family makes this a scene that is far in our past. I admit that choosing the description of “barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen” is biased against what I perceive the right wing activists to be advocating. I am very much a libtard who suffers from TDS 🙂
That’s refreshing honesty. Youre spot on with the economics. It is nearly impossible to have a one income family these days in California.
Great coverage SS. Looks like everyone got along fine with the exception of the truck racing around endangering people and polluting the air for everyone. Why does LE allow this to happen over and over and over again anytime the, ‘left’ get together on the street? RPD?? CHP????
About 10 feet from an RPD Officer pulling his bag out of his car when I said “Oh a sniper”
He immediately put the bag back for a few minutes. Then I was right next to the steps when he was walking up them with a tripod wrapped in camo. I asked him what it was he said it is for a “camera.” I said what are you going to put on top of it? He just laughed heading up to the roof of the Civic. Talking to event promoters and security there were many threats including one of a bomb so LE had to sweep with a bomb sniffing dog. 4 undercover cops inside, 2 snipers on the roof, and swat team on standby. Who pays for all of that?
Members Attended Turning Point Rally In Redding
Interesting group here where their members post all over the internet… There after and want to indoctrinate your children to be sure . Nice to see them at the Turning Point rally last night in Redding… Joe Bob Briggs says “check them out” Interesting picture here from their website
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/19/satanic-temple-fight-against-religious-right