LANSING – Michigan’s bipartisan board of the Democracy Defense Project (DDP) today released the following statement after the fatal shooting of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk in Utah, encouraging Michiganders to come together in the aftermath.

The DDP Michigan board members are former Govs. John Engler, a Republican, and Jim Blanchard, a Democrat, former Lt. Gov. John Cherry, a Democrat, and former Congressman Mike Bishop, a Republican.

“We urge Americans of every political background to join us in denouncing and rejecting all forms of political violence,” a Monday press release from the Democracy Defense Project Michigan stated. “To protect our democracy, we must defend freedom of speech. We must be able to speak and even disagree without fearing for our safety, regardless of who we are, what we believe and where we are on the political spectrum. All Americans need to come together. We must do our part to repair the political polarization that divides our nation – a polarization that impairs the ability of elected officials to work together to address problems at every level.”

Kirk’s shooting follows a series of recent disturbing attacks and shootings against public officials and public servants, including earlier this year when a man firebombed Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home and told police he wanted to attack Shapiro with a sledgehammer, Melissa Hortman, the leader of the Minnesota State House of Representatives, was killed at her home along with her husband in June, and gunfire was aimed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in August. Last year, President Trump was injured during a failed assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania. And in 2020, law enforcement foiled a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

More information on the Democracy Defense Project can be found at democracydefenseproject.org.