Orlando vigil attracts thousands to Dr. Phillips Center
ORLANDO — “Hate visited our Orlando” when a gunman opened fire on unsuspecting patrons inside Pulse nightclub, Mayor Buddy Dyer told thousands of mourners during a candlelight vigil Monday night outside the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
“For reasons we don’t fully understand, our city and our very way of life was attacked. Someone purposely sought out men and women of our — of our — LGBT community. He took the lives of 49 of our neighbors and loved ones and injured dozens more,” Dyer said.
“He murdered — he murdered — sons and daughters, fathers and mothers. And ended the dreams of many young people who were just starting their adult lives in the city of Orlando,” he said.
“Tonight, we remain a city in pain. We are mourning. We are angry,” he said.
Throughout the two-hour event, a series of speakers praised the Orlando Police Department; called for gun control reforms; and led the crowd in chants of “We are here to stay!” and “Peace love Pulse!” The Orlando Gay Chorus provided song.
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Mourners graced the front of the stage with hundreds of colorful flower bouquets, arranged on the lawn alongside candles, framed photographs, handwritten tributes, American flags, stuffed animals and balloons.
At dusk, the bells at First United Methodist Church of Orlando slowly tolled 49 times, shortly after 8:30 p.m. Many attendees cried and hugged while holding lighted candles, and then they raised their candles aloft.
“Be at peace, my friends. There is a long journey ahead. And we will make it together,” First Unitarian Church of Orlando Rev. Kathy Schmitz told the crowd.
About 7,500 people attended the vigil, estimated Eric Gray, executive director of United Against Poverty Orlando.
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The vigil was organized by Equality Florida, a civil rights organization that represents the Sunshine State’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
“We are here today to, quite simply, mourn those that we have lost. This was an unspeakable tragedy. Nobody saw this coming,” Hannah Willard, Equality Florida policy and outreach coordinator, said before the event.
“This has shaken our community to its very core — especially because it happened in a traditionally safe space for gay and transgender people,” Willard said.
“Nightclubs are more than just places where we go dancing, the LGBT community. They are often the very first place where folks like us feel like our authentic selves,” she said.
During the vigil, a group of Pulse employees and supporters took the stage and vowed to reopen.
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Imam Muhammad Musri, president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, condemned the mass shooting as an act of terror and “an atrocity.” He called for a ban on assault weapons, drawing cheers and applause.
“We don’t want any more Sandy Hooks. We don’t want any more massacres like Charleston. We are tired of massacres like San Bernadino. And we are surely tired of the massacre (in) Orlando,” Musri said.
“We want peace,” he said.
Joe Saunders is a former Orlando state representative and longtime LBGT activist who moved to town in 2001. He recalled when Pulse first opened its doors and “its bright neon sign first lit up the streets of downtown Orlando.” He called the nightclub an institution that was one of the community’s safest places.
“We know that there will be more names put on that list. We know that there are still some who are fighting for their lives in that hospital right down the street,” Saunders said, concluding the vigil.
“So as we conclude our program, take care of each other. Take care of each other.”
Contact Neale at 321-242-3638, rneale@floridatoday.com or follow @RickNeale1 on Twitter