Nearly two dozen residents packed Tuesday’s St. Louis County Council meeting, divided sharply over whether assassinated right-wing provocateur Charlie Kirk should be honored by a body that represents the county’s entire diverse population.

In the end, the council rejected a resolution by Republican Councilman Mark Harder of District 6 that sought to recognize Kirk’s “commitment to truth, freedom and constitutional principles” and to denounce the political violence that ended his life. The debate stretched well beyond the usual procedure, becoming a referendum on Kirk’s polarizing legacy: Some cast him as a defender of free speech, while others painted him as a racist, misogynistic hatemonger.

Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, built a following in this country and beyond by mobilizing y

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