Thanks to the City of Orlando for buying the property and sponsoring the monument. Gay-bashers still support GQP candidates who appeal to bigotry against people on the basis of religton, ethnicity, race, sex, gender orientation, sexual orientation and national origin.
I shall never forget hearing about the Pulse murders on Flagler College Radio, 88.5, one of the few times students were ever allowed to provide news to our community.
I shall always remember that the Chair of the St. Augustine Republican Club allegedly said on a right-wing radio station's air that the people killed in the Pulse shooting "got what they deserve."
Pray for the future of our country, awash in som much hatred, from the White House to the Governor's mansion. When the City of St. Augustine refused to fly Rainbow flags for Gay Pride, United States District Court Judge Henry Lee Adams, Jr. ordered them to fly. He granted a temporary restraining order only fourteen days after the City refused to recognize equality and First Amendment rights. Fourteen days,When the City of St. Augustine dumped a landfill in a lake in West Augustine, the late Carrie Johnson led some 300 of us at St. Paul A.M.E' Church in singng. We Shall Overcome.
Yes we will. Yes we can!
From Orlando Sentinel:
Orlando removes artifacts from Pulse building, marking major step in new memorial
One by one, crew members slowly hauled out large wooden boxes filled with chandeliers, posters, a cash register, the top of a bar, and other items frozen in time from June 12, 2016.
It was nearly all that remained inside the Pulse nightclub, where 49 people were killed during a mass shooting almost a decade ago.
Orlando officials said Monday’s artifact removal was an important step in finally building a permanent Pulse memorial, a goal long delayed by controversy and setbacks.
“I’m also very proud of the team today,” said Navid Erfan, Orlando’s facilities division manager, who oversaw the removal. “Because they’ve shown a lot of care and diligence in the process. It’s obviously a very sensitive process for a number of people.”
The sealed, specially-built boxes were lifted onto flat-bed trucks behind the building and transported to a climate-controlled warehouse in Orlando, where the items will be stored until a permanent $12-million memorial is completed in late 2027.
All together, about 26 items were removed from inside the building just south of downtown Orlando.
City officials had notified survivors and family members of the victims last November through emails about Monday’s removal of the artifacts.
Most of those watching the removal — which lasted about an hour — were television crews and journalists. A small group of about half dozen people stood nearby, with some wiping away tears. They refused to comment.
Larger items — such as the flooring, which victims and family members had said holds a special significance for them — and the large Pulse sign overlooking Orange Avenue will be removed next spring, according to officials.
Most of the site will then be cleared, including the nightclub building itself, and construction of the memorial is expected to start in about a year according to a city timeline.
Other items removed on Monday were posters, promotional flyers, light fixtures and a large decorative frame that was hanging on a wall. Crews spent three days building the wooden boxes and loading the items into the boxes, Erfan said.
The items were packed with “archival grade” packaging materials to securely transport them to an undisclosed location, he said.
City officials said they have not yet decided whether all of the items will be part of the permanent Pulse memorial.
“We want to ensure their preservation during the design and construction phase,” said city spokeswoman Andrea Otero.
The city purchased the Pulse site in late 2023 and hired Gomez Construction Co. of Winter Park this year to launch the memorial’s construction. Borrelli + Partners Inc. is the design architect for the project.
The onePulse Foundation was originally tasked with creating a memorial. But those plans collapsed after accusations and lofty ambitions to build a $100 million memorial and museum with no ability to fund such a massive project.
The current preliminary plans for the memorial show a reflection pool where the club’s dance floor was located. It also will include an elliptical walk with 49 columns, one for each person who died, and a water wall that may display pairs of dancing shoes.
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