Sicilian-born NYC sculptor Sergio Furnari plans an unpermitted cast-steel Charlie Kirk memorial in Times Square on September 10 — with no coordination with the Times Square Alliance, which controls the plazas. He has been removed from Central Park for the same reason before.

Sicilian-born New York City sculptor Sergio Furnari plans to place a cast-steel memorial to Charlie Kirk in Times Square on September 10 — one day before the first anniversary of Kirk's assassination — without coordinating with the Times Square Alliance, the business improvement district that controls what goes on the Broadway pedestrian plazas.

The sculpture depicts Kirk seated, holding a microphone, wearing a crewneck reading "FREEDOM." Furnari is financing it through a crowdfunding campaign with a $150,000 goal; as of July 16, he had raised approximately $3,483, according to Hyperallergic, which reported the permit gap first.

"Permit from who?" Furnari said in a phone call with Hyperallergic. "Who's gotta give me a permit if today I wanna write a song, or sculpt a rose? ... God gave me permission."

He has been through this before. In 2021, the city removed a red heart sculpture Furnari had placed in Central Park — funded with a city-issued grant — because he had not secured a placement permit. His Kirk memorial goes in without even that starting point.

The Times Square Alliance runs Times Square Arts, a formal program through which artists and institutions apply to display work on the district's plazas and electronic billboards. Furnari has not coordinated with the Alliance for any type of event or display permit, according to Hyperallergic's reporting.

Kirk, the Turning Point USA co-founder, was fatally shot by a rooftop sniper while speaking at a debate event at Utah Valley University on September 11, 2025. Furnari told Hyperallergic he is not a "MAGA guy" but admired what he described as Kirk's commitment to open dialogue, and said he "strongly disagreed" with how Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, has been treated by the media. "I'm not an activist, I'm an artist," he told Hyperallergic.

Online reaction has ranged from explicit threats to damage and vandalize the piece to rallying donations and support on Furnari's Instagram — producing the viral commentary that landed the story in national outlets this week. He told Hyperallergic the harassment only hardened his resolve: "Now what happens is that the more they threaten me, the more I want to make multiple statues."

Whether September 10 holds depends on whether the Times Square Alliance or city officials move to block the installation before then. The Alliance has not commented publicly on what it will do if Furnari attempts the placement without authorization.