PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — In a tumultuous turn of events at the School District of Palm Beach County, two protests emerged surrounding the controversial remarks made by School District of Palm Beach County School Board Member Edwin Ferguson about conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The situation reflects a growing nationwide divide over freedom of speech and its implications within educational settings.
WATCH BELOW:
On one side of the entrance to the school district headquarters, supporters waving flags, driving trucks, and rallying for Charlie Kirk have called for Edwin Ferguson's removal from his position.
Conversely, a smaller group gathered with a sign reading "Freedom of Speech For All," advocating for Ferguson's right to express his views.
Members of the NAACP held a prayer outside the school board meeting chambers, emphasizing their support for Ferguson to maintain his job while advocating for the free speech rights of all educators.
“This is not a Democratic thing, a Republican thing, this is not party, this is a moral issue,” Pastor Rae Whitely from Faith in Florida stated.
The uproar stems from controversial comments made by Edwin Ferguson, who previously drew backlash for calling Kirk a racist bigot and comparing Charlie Kirk to Adolf Hitler.
In the school board meeting, Ferguson cautioned teachers regarding the public expression of their opinions about the conservative figure.
Supporters of Charlie Kirk are adamant that Ferguson should no longer hold his seat, insisting that he has a significant influence on students.
“I saw the video over and over again and I said, 'I can't believe what this man said,'" supporter Willy Guardiola said. "I don't care if he's black, white, purple, or if he's my twin brother, the thing is nobody should be able to get away with something like that that's just so vicious and despicable.”
Palm Beach County
'I won't be bullied': School board member doubles down on Charlie Kirk comments
Guardiola, along with other advocates for Kirk, has been attempting to connect with state leaders for the past month, demanding Ferguson's removal but reports no response thus far.
“He thinks OK this is just going to be a little slap on the wrist. No. We need to either convert his heart or remove him,” Guardiola added.
When asked in an interview with WPTV last month about possible repercussions for his comments, Ferguson doubled down.
“I'm not racist. I don't promote racist ideologies or anything like that so based on my understanding on the groundwork, the rules of the road I should say, no I'm not too worried about that,” he said.
He asserts that his track record on the board has been commendable.
“Being a racist is not a protected group of people,” he said.
Dedrick Straghn of the South Palm Beach County NAACP voiced the sentiment of many in support of Ferguson.
“We're here today to let the school board know that not only are we not going to stand for it, but we're going to challenge them to stand up and stand up with their fellow board member,” he said.
WATCH PREVIOUS: 'I'm definitely not stepping down,' Edwin Ferguson tells WPTV's Joel Lopez
Ferguson plans to run for reelection as the District 7 board member.
The protests escalated when the Freedom of Speech for All activists confronted the Kirk supporters, which lead to yelling and shoving prompting police intervention to separate the groups.
WPTV documented a heated exchange as well as the moment Alfred Fields, president of the West Palm Beach NAACP, and Guardiola exchanged words.
“Do we all agree that the First Amendment applies to everyone that is legally in this country?” asked Fields.
“No doubt about it,” replied Guardiola.
Fields pressed further, asking if Ferguson does not have the right to express himself.
“Not to speak about somebody that was assassinated and he didn't know anything about,” Guardiola responded.
Both factions have condemned threats of violence against Kirk and Ferguson acknowledging that Ferguson has faced threats following his remarks.
For the last month, WPTV has reached out to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' office and the Florida Department of Education for further information regarding any potential consequences for Ferguson and has not gotten any comment.
The School District of Palm Beach County issued the following statement:
"The School District operates under the governance of the School Board as a whole. For this reason, it is the practice of the District not to comment on the statements of individual Board members. Our focus remains on our mission to educate, affirm, and inspire every student."
