KALAMAZOO, Mich. — An Office Depot store near the Crossroads Mall in Portage is making national headlines after a video surfaced showing employees allegedly refusing to print a poster memorializing Charlie Kirk.
It’s a video seen across the country: employees at the Portage Office Depot appearing to call the image propaganda and refusing to print it.
James Asher, Chair of the Kalamazoo Young Republicans, placed the print order.
Watch Julie Dunmire's video story below:
“They told us that they looked up who it was for, and that they just wouldn’t do it. And I thought that was unacceptable,” Asher said.
Asher described the poster.
“The picture literally just said the legendary Charlie Kirk 1993-2025, and it was a nice picture of Charlie, black and white, it wasn’t political propaganda. This was for a prayer vigil,” he said.
While he joked about the situation—
“I’ve lived in Kalamazoo my entire life, and I think they might be a Spirit Halloween in a couple weeks,” Asher said—he stressed the seriousness of the matter.
“So I want to ask you, because you can see these people in the video. Were you worried at all when you took that video, that their safety might be at risk for what was going on?" FOX 17 reporter Julie Dunmire asked.
“I just want to say, if this is how people show themselves on camera, imagine how they show themselves off camera. I think it goes back to the point that yeah, they may have had the right refuse me service, but people also have a right to know where they’re shopping. I think that goes to show that we have to be able to show the evil in the world, so that’s what I did. I pray for them. I hope they’re safe I don’t want any ill will to happen to them— so if anyone is thinking like that— I hope they would never do anything. These are humans that just showed a very unfortunate side of themselves,” Asher said.
In a statement posted on X, Office Depot said the employees involved are “no longer with the organization.”
To our customers pic.twitter.com/XYlcFPpInN
— Office Depot (@officedepot) September 13, 2025
Legal experts say the incident highlights changing workplace dynamics and the risks of viral moments.
"Is this caution more so prevalent now, more so now, amidst this world where everyone is talking about Charlie Kirk? Should people be conscientious of what they’re putting out on social media, and how they’re conducting themselves when it comes to employment?" Julie Dunmire asked.
"Without a doubt. Especially as we’ve become more polarized, when it comes to this political discussion.” said Cooley Law Professor Mark Dotson.
“You might not realize how sensitive your employer is to the politics, the optics of things, until a situation like this occurs,” Dotson said.
Watch the full video of the incident at the Portage Office Depot:
Asher says he paid $56 for a print he never received, but believes the incident may have sparked a broader conversation.
“I think it did go wild, because we’ve seen across the country, like you said, a lot of these situations. I think this is the first situation where we have it recorded, of someone being refused service for a Charlie Kirk poster,” Asher said.
Over the weekend, security measures were visible at the Office Depot store. On Monday, security was also observed at the store.
Asher returned to the store on Monday, and printed off an image. He says he is thankful for Office Depot's apology, and them printing off a poster for him.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
