On Sunday, June 12, 2016, around 2:00 a.m., a shooting broke out at Pulse nightclub, in Orlando, Florida. No one knew how deadly the shooting was. No one knew the fear in the nightclub that early morning. Little did anyone know outside the nightclub, that it would go down as the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. This wasn't a shooting, it was a tragedy.
Sunday morning, around 8:00 a.m., I got up and checked my twitter as usual. I saw news of a shooting at a gay nightclub and I was like what? I didn't believe it was real and I went, checked, and little did I know it happened. 49 people killed. 53 people injured. CNN says this was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history and the nation's worst terror attack since 9/11.
Who was the shooter you ask? Who could be capable of doing such an evil act towards people that have never done anything to anyone? Well this is him. Omar Marteen.
Omar Marteen was shot by Orlando police that same night. He had pledged his allegiance to ISIS.
The crazy part of all this is the fact that all the victims have to live in fear. Fear of thinking this might happen again. The fear of what if I go out and someone doesn't like me and tries to kill me. Sounds a bit drastic but that's the sad truth. This man has put fear back into the gay community for thinking they aren't accepted or welcomed. He didn't care that mothers, daughter, sons, nieces, nephews, cousins, best friends or anything else were in there.
The most disgusting thing I heard is from one of the victims who survived that night, Norman Casiano, said that the gunman "laughed ... Like an evil laugh. Like something that's just gonna be imprinted in my head forever." He later on said that the gunman never said anything. Norman Casiano was hit twice by the gunman.
Many would say this was a terrorist attack, sure. I look at it like a very violent hate crime to incident people. Everyone is saying the LGBT community needs to stay together but how long is that going to last?
The victims that survived have to sit there and be grateful for living yet feel guilty because their friends died. They have to sit there and try not to replay the scariest moment of all their lives. They will never let that go. That's not something you just let go.
I am mostly upset that the gunman, Omar Marteen, got shot by Orlando police because he doesn't have to live every day knowing he killed 49 people and injured 53 people.
I can't even imagine how much that feel right now. My best friend in this world is gay and I couldn't even know what to do is he was there. I wouldn't even know how to comfort him after something like that.
My heart goes out to all the victims of this. My heart goes out to all the families who lost someone to this. My heart goes out to everyone that passed away from this. For the survivors of this tragedy, I am sorry you have to go through this.
"Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights. Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight." - Bob Marley
Rest in Peace to Stanley Almodovar III, Amanda Alvear, Oscar A Aracena-Montero, Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, Antonio Davon Brown, Darryl Roman Burt II, Angel L. Candelario-Padro, Juan Chevez-Martinez, Luis Daniel Conde, Cory James Connell, Tevin Eugene Crosby, Deonka Deidra Drayton, Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, Leroy Valentin Fernandez, Mercedez Marisol Flores, Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, Juan Ramon Guerrero, Paul Terrell Henry, Frank Hernandez, Miguel Angel Honorato, Javier Jorge-Reyes, Jason Benjamin Josaphat, Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, Christopher Andrew Leinonen, Alejandro Barrios Martinez, Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, Kimberly Morris, Akyra Monet Murray, Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, Joel Rayon Paniagua, Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, Enrique L. Rios, Jr., Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, Edward Sotomayor Jr., Shane Evan Tomlinson, Martin Benitez Torres, Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, Luis S. Vielma, Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, and Jerald Arthur Wright.
XOXO,
Audsome_
