Less than 48 hours after a gunman shot 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando a year ago, thousands gathered in Ybor City to honor the victims.
On this first anniversary of what is the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, Ybor City will again be the site for the Tampa Bay community to come together to remember the victims of that attack.
The vigil at Centennial Park begins at 7 p.m.
“We’re calling it a night of reflection,” says Carrie West, who helped create The GaYBOR District Coalition a decade ago. Tampa Pride, the GaYBOR district and Equality Florida are among the groups organizing the event.
The City of Tampa began acknowledging the anniversary of the tragedy on Friday, when it began flying flags at half-staff and added the pride flag above Old City Hall.
Mayor Bob Buckhorn was joined by Clearwater Mayor George Cretekos at a blood drive on Monday.
“One year after this horrific event only confirms my words following last year’s tragedy, ‘Orlando is a strong and resilient community’ and has joined together to overcome this immeasurable loss,” Buckhorn said on Monday. “Tampa stands united with Orlando and will remain steadfast partners to combat hate of any sort. Love will always be more powerful than hate.”
The city also released this video on Friday.
https://youtu.be/_aa8N2qN3fE
