Emails Reveal Reactions to Then-Cleveland Fire Chief's Charlie Kirk Post

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Months after cleveland.com requested them, City Hall released a trove of emails showing how sharply polarized the reaction was after then–Fire Chief Anthony Luke reposted a political cartoon criticizing Charlie Kirk and Republicans two days after Kirk was shot and killed.

The 31 messages, obtained through a public-records request filed in September, were received over a five-day span in mid-September 2025 as news spread about Luke’s post and his placement on paid leave.

Luke reached a settlement with the city and retired Jan. 18. Cleveland agreed to pay Luke’s attorneys $10,000. A cleveland.com reporter reached out to Luke’s attorneys for comment.

City spokesman Tyler Sinclair did not comment on the emails, saying the “City has already addressed this matter and is now focused on moving forward to bring in a new, permanent Chief who upholds the values and principles of public service – someone who acts with integrity, professionalism and unity.” Hiring a new chief will take months, he said.

The influx of emails shows how quickly Luke’s Facebook post became part of a larger, politically polarized culture war. It’s unclear how many emails even came from Cleveland residents, since Luke’s posts made national headlines.

Some emails accused Luke of celebrating Kirk’s death and said his post showed he could not be trusted to serve conservative residents fairly. A smaller number of residents defended Luke or criticized Mayor Justin Bibb for taking him off the job, calling the city’s actions an overreach and a violation of free-speech rights.

Some thought paid leave was too lenient. Others attacked Luke directly and used racial slurs, calling him a “DEI hire,” “black trash” and other vulgar names.

Luke, a 32-year veteran of the Cleveland Division of Fire, had reposted a cartoon depicting a Republican elephant standing beside a golden assault rifle atop an altar, with bodies on the steps below.

The cartoon included a quote attributed to Kirk defending the Second Amendment despite gun deaths: “I think it’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, a few gun deaths every single year so that we can have the 2nd amendment.”

Kirk, a 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot on the campus of Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. Luke’s Facebook post came two days later, on Friday, Sept. 12.

Emails started pouring in the following Monday into Luke’s own inbox and other email inboxes set up to receive citizens’ complaints.

“How can anyone in this city feel safe having someone like that saying those things, out loud, when holding a public position??” wrote one emailer, who claimed to be a Cleveland resident. “It’s absolutely sickening and unacceptable in a civilized society.”

Another who described himself as conservative Christian wrote he was “left questioning whether you would protect my home and my life with the same dedication as others.”

Luke was taken off the job that Tuesday. But the messages kept coming.

“Paid administrative leave is nothing but a paid vacation,” one person wrote. “How exactly is that punishment?”

But not all of the messages were condemnations.

One writer, claiming to be a senior citizen in Cleveland, called Luke “a man of integrity” who was committed to his community. In that email, the person accused Kirk of spreading hate and called on Bibb to stand by the fire chief.

“To suggest that Chief Luke should resign in response to pressure from extremist voices is not only misguided, but it is a slap in the face to all of Cleveland,” the man wrote.

After Kirk’s death, there was an uproar of politically polarized posts on social media. Many public officials like Luke faced immense backlash for posts criticizing Kirk.

Both Fairview Park City Council President Michael Kilbane and Munroe Falls City Councilman John Impellizzeri resigned after posts they made about Kirk.

Cleveland officials continue to investigate four other public safety employees who made posts related to Kirk.

At the time, Bibb had publicly denounced Luke’s post, calling it insensitive and inappropriate for a public safety leader in a city that struggles with gun violence.

Bibb had said while he supports free speech, the fire chief’s post “romanticized gun violence” in a city that is often plagued by it.

But one emailer seemed to directly confront Bibb’s statement.

“Luke’s post didn’t romanticize gun violence,” one person wrote. “Quite the opposite. He pointed out that Kirk, himself, stated that gun deaths are the price we must pay for the second amendment. So, it’s Kirk that glorified guns. Not Luke.”

Many emails brought up free speech. While one emailer accused Bibb of punishing Luke for exercising his first amendment right, others said the fire chief crossed a line.

“He needs to be terminated,” one person wrote. “As I am a huge supporter of free speech that comes with parameters, and when you are preaching evil you have forgone your freedom.”

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