Westminster Mayor Defends Charlie Kirk Honorary Street Signs Amid Liberal Backlash

Westminster Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen is defending his city's decision to install honorary street signs bearing Charlie Kirk's name near City Hall. The move has drawn criticism from some liberal residents.

Nguyen told Fox News Digital that Americans are lucky to have freedom of speech and that everyone must respect it. "Nobody should be murdered or assassinated because of promoting freedom of speech," he said.

Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was killed while speaking on a Utah college campus last September. Nguyen then proposed redesignating portions of All American Way as Charlie Kirk Way. The Westminster City Council approved the proposal in a 4-1 vote in November. Crews put up the signs last week in the Orange County city, prompting outrage from some liberal residents who called Kirk a hateful figure.

According to ABC7, the redesignation does not officially change the street name or addresses. It applies only to physical street signs between Westminster Boulevard and 13th Street.

Nguyen said the signs were not meant to be political. He intended them to celebrate Kirk's commitment to free speech, a value the mayor cherishes as a Vietnam refugee who fled communism.

Nguyen told Fox News Digital that after the fall of Saigon in 1975, his father was taken to a re-education camp, which was actually a prison. That left Nguyen to help support his family. He later escaped to the United States, where he said he received a second chance at life.

"I was able to live the American Dream," he said. He described how he earned multiple degrees and worked as an engineer for McDonnell Douglas, which later became part of Boeing.

"If I were in Vietnam, I wouldn't have a chance to be who I am today," he said.

Nguyen said he wanted to honor Kirk for his commitment to free speech among young people, as well as his patriotism and Christian values.

He acknowledged the signs have drawn some criticism but said he has received mostly positive feedback from people in the community and from others around the country. Nguyen pointed to Westminster's large Vietnamese American population. Many residents understand the importance of free speech because they or their families fled communist rule.

"I think that the right thing to do is to honor somebody who lived the American Dream and who lived and promoted the rights that we have here," Nguyen said.

Nguyen is running to represent California's 45th congressional district. He said the community has concerns about taxes, public safety and businesses leaving California that are not being addressed. The district will hold a primary on June 2, 2026. Nguyen is one of several candidates in the race.