Tammy Lally, treasurer of Orlando's LGBT chamber of commerce. I can’t imagine they wouldn’t and they shouldn’t. I put out a Facebook message that I needed grief counselors show up at the center, and 25 showed up in 30 minutes.Ībsolutely. The mental health community here in central Florida is extraordinary. We’re staying very close in connection, just supporting each other in every way we can through mental health support, grief centers have been set up everywhere along the community. It’s too early to understand the exact impact it’s going to have on the community at large. On what she anticipates these losses will feel like down the road: Everybody is heavy hearted and sad and banding together. I can say for myself, emotionally, we’re a very small community.
I think all of us are just in shock, right? We don’t really know what’s happened yet. I spent the day at the Center, which is the gay and lesbian hub for Orlando. I just totally fell in love with the gay community and the community at-large in Orlando yesterday. As a gay community that’s what we do, but as American citizens that’s what we do. It’s very close to home, it’s in our backyard. And we do have members of our board that have lost very good friends. There wasn’t anybody there yesterday of hundreds of hundreds of people that came through the center that wasn’t affected. Yesterday my experience at the LGBT Center, predominantly the gay male community has been impacted greatly. The reason why Orlando is such an attraction for gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual people is because the city of Orlando is completely open and accepting and supportive through Mayor Dyer and Commissioner Patty Sheehan. On why Orlando is an attraction for the LGBT community: It’s a wonderful city because you can be who you are because it’s very accepting of diversity city-wide that attracts a lot of gays and lesbians to be in business. Probably one of the largest gay and lesbian chambers in the US. View all our coverage on the Orlando nightclub shooting. Here & Now's Robin Young speaks with Tammy Lally, treasurer of MBA Orlando, the city's LGBT chamber of commerce. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images) This article is more than 5 years old.įifty people were killed at the Pulse nightclub on Sunday morning, including the shooter. Orlando police said the event is unrelated to the murder of Christina Grimmie, the popular Voice singer who was killed while signing autographs after her Orlando show.People hold candles during a vigil for the victims of the Pulse club shooting at the Ember restaurant and bar in Orlando, Florida on June 12, 2016.Ĥ9 people died when a gunman allegedly inspired by the Islamic State group opened fire inside a gay nightclub in Florida, in the worst terror attack on US soil since September 11, 2001. “As we wait for more information, my thoughts are with those affected by this horrific act.” “Woke up to hear the devastating news from FL,” Clinton wrote. before adding, “Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don’t want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance.
When will this stop? When will we get tough, smart & vigilant?,” Trump tweeted. Praying for all the victims & their families. “This is an incident, as I see it, that we certainly classify as domestic terror incident,” said Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings, according to the Washington Post.ĭonald Trump and Hillary Clinton both reacted to news of the shooting. Agents said that the suspect “may have leanings toward extreme ideologies.” Police said that the suspect was not from the Orlando area and was “organized and well-prepared,” the Times reports. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is assisting local authorities handling the incident, the Orlando Sentinel reports. “We weren’t aware of any action he is taking. “We are saying we are apologizing for the whole incident,” he said. Mateen’s father apologized on behalf of his family.
NBC News reports that Mateen called 911 before entering the club and “pledged allegiance to ISIS,” though authorities have not found any direct link between Mateen and the terrorist group. In front of my son they are doing that.’ And then we were in the men’s bathroom and men were kissing each other.”
“They were kissing each other and touching each other and he said, ‘Look at that. And he saw two men kissing each other in front of his wife and kid and he got very angry,” Mir Seddique, told NBC News. Mateen’s motive remains unclear, but his father says it may have been triggered by anti-gay sentiments. “We were in Downtown Miami, Bayside, people were playing music.