PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — In the wake of the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk, a firestorm of controversy has erupted across the political spectrum.
Over the last week, WPTV has been tracking the fallout from inflammatory comments made by various educators, leading to significant backlash and discussions about accountability within the educational system.
WATCH BELOW: 'I'm definitely not stepping down,' Edwin Ferguson tells WPTV's Joel Lopez
Now the focus is on Palm Beach County School Board member Edwin Ferguson, who is facing criticism for his remarks regarding Kirk.
"I'm reaching out to everybody in the governor's office, every senator, congressman, I'm reaching out to all the people, because some of the people haven't seen this video yet, and everyone needs to know what's going on," Christian activist Willy Guardiola expressed his discontent, stating, "I don't want an investigation, let's terminate this guy."
Guardiola argued that Ferguson, as a school board member, is a leader and represents a figure that many students look up to.
He insists that Ferguson should adhere to the same standards as outlined in a letter from the Florida Department of Education, which threatens to remove teaching licenses from educators who publicly express "vile" views about Charlie Kirk.
"Please be careful what you say and what you do, I don't care what party you're with," Guardiola warned.
The statements were during Wednesday’s school board meeting; Ferguson cautioned his colleagues on the importance of their public speech and spoke on policy.
"I’m thinking unless you as a parent or you as a teacher feel bad because, I, as a teacher don’t miss a racist, a racist bigot at that, I don’t see how you are going to be at risk of losing your teaching certificate," Ferguson remarked.
Ferguson's comments went further as he drew alarming comparisons between Kirk and Adolf Hitler.
“When we talk about the Holocaust, I have yet to hear a person of the Jewish faith say, ‘I miss Adolph Hitler.’ He said a lot of toxic things that were very undermining to society at large, and we want to never forget that and we want to be better than that. The things that I have heard from this gentleman, Mr. Kirk, as it relates to the Black experience in this country are definitely things that would make me say I am sorry he passed away, but he did not use his voice effectively.” said Ferguson.
This commentary quickly sparked controversy among Kirk's supporters.
In an interview with WPTV's Joel Lopez, Ferguson was asked whether he was concerned about potential repercussions from his comments.
"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," Ferguson responded. "Whatever happens, will happen but my record since I've been on the board has been pretty exceptional and so I'll stand by that at all times. Being a racist is not a protected group of people."
Ferguson, who has been the District 7 board member for three years and plans to run for reelection, emphasized that while he does not condone Kirk’s assassination, he believes Kirk's remarks about Black people and his opposition to affirmative action, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives merit scrutiny.
The West Palm Beach NAACP voiced their support for Ferguson in a statement:
"This is truly a tragedy for all involved; no one deserves to be murdered. We find all murders inexcusable. With that being said, a person's record, deceased or alive, speaks for itself. If you were a racist before you died, why would you be considered anything other than that after death? The means by which you die do not change who you are, what you represent, or the things you did while you lived. All that I know leads me to say Charlie Kirk was a racist." - Alfred Fields, West Palm Beach NAACP.
Some have questioned Ferguson’s assertions about Kirk, particularly noting that he admitted he was unaware of Kirk prior to his assassination.
When Lopez inquired if Ferguson had enough time to evaluate Kirk's message, Ferguson replied with the following:
"Yes. If I look at five videos, and in those five videos you say things that seem to be biased to the point of being a racist or bigoted how many more videos do I need to see before I make a conclusion? If you're trying to elevate all people, no one can say Mr. Kirk did that and that's what I was getting at."
Guardiola countered Ferguson’s claims, arguing that Kirk's stance on DEI and affirmative action was not racist.
"It's a merit system," he stated, adding that while Kirk didn't make too many appearances at Black colleges and universities, he welcomed discussions from people with all perspectives.
"He wanted the younger 18, 19-year-olds to have their own minds and say, 'Speak for yourself and talk and speak the truth.'"
When asked what message he would send to Ferguson, Guardiola encouraged him to "go back and watch Charlie Kirk and learn about him. I believe in free speech but when you're talking about hate speech without knowing the background, you can't be doing that."
However, Ferguson stood firm in his position.
"Anybody who wants to have an honest dialogue then have an honest dialogue, but I won't be bullied by anyone as far as that goes," he said. "I'm going to always advocate for our children here. I'm definitely not stepping down."
WPTV has reached out to the Florida Department of Education and the office of Gov. Ron DeSantis for further comments, and we await their response.
