A candlelight vigil to honor those killed early Sunday morning in an Orlando, Florida, nightclub will be at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in Durango’s Rotary Park.
“I just can’t believe it,” said Krisi Dean, chairwoman of the Four Corners Alliance for Diversity, who was part of the Florida LGBT scene for 37 years. “I’m just scared to see the victim list. Is there going to be somebody I know on it?”
Early Sunday morning a gunman wielding an assault-type rifle and a handgun opened fire inside a crowded gay nightclub in Orlando, killing 49 people before dying in a gunfight with SWAT officers. It is the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
The shooter was identified as Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old American citizen from Port St. Lucie, Florida, who had worked as a security guard.
At least 53 people were hospitalized, most in critical condition, officials said.
The vigil in Durango will serve to bringing together a community reeling from the tragedy that occurred 10 days before the 2016 Durango Pride Festival, which is set to begin June 22, Dean said.
“It is happening here in Durango,” Dean said of bigtory toward the LGBT community. “There’s still a lot of LGBT people that are scared to say they’re gay even in our wonderful, beautiful Durango. And that’s why we have these events: To show the people in the community we’re human.”
Rowan Blaisdell, an organizer with 4 Corners Rainbow Youth, said the youth center will hold its regularly scheduled drop-in hours from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday for anyone younger than 18. To find the location, email Blaisdell at rowan@rainbowyouthcenter.org.
“People here are severely impacted,” Blaisdell said. “We need to recognize this is a huge issue in our society and come together to talk around that. It’s really about continuing a dialogue.
Greg Weiss, also an organizer of Four Corners Alliance for Diversity, said the tragic event is a reminder of the amount of hate in the world and that any group could be targeted in a shooting.
“With all the movement forward in equality, people are hopeful, and then something like this happens, and it makes them scared, and makes them realize there’s still people out there who hate them,” Weiss said.
Local advocates encouraged the community to stand together at the vigil on Tuesday, as well as show support for the Durango Pride Festival, which will run June 22 to June 26.
“It’s really important for people to come out and show we’re a vibrant part of this community, of this country and of this world,” Weiss said. “And we’re not going to be afraid of the hate that’s out there.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report. jromeo@durangoherald.com
