Overview
- Artist Sergio Furnari says he spent roughly $100,000 of his own money building a life‑size steel and resin statue of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and has been unable to find buyers.
- A fundraising page set a $150,000 goal but has raised only about $7,500–$8,225, leaving Furnari personally and financially exposed after he sold assets and carried the project alone.
- The statue, which depicts Kirk holding a microphone and wearing a shirt reading “FREEDOM,” has drawn viral attention and hostile messages including threats of vandalism and public urination.
- Furnari plans a public unveiling in Times Square on Sept. 10, 2026, the anniversary of Kirk’s death, but he has not confirmed permits and the date coincides with active legal proceedings in Utah tied to the killing, raising safety and enforcement questions.
- The episode underscores how memorials to living-era political figures can become contested symbols and shows that online enthusiasm does not reliably produce private patronage or safe public installations.