Britannica: The Orlando shooting of 2016, also called Pulse nightclub shooting, is a mass shooting that took place at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in the early morning hours of June 12, 2016, and left 49 people dead and more than 50 wounded. It was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history up to that time. *The following year, the Las Vegas shooting tragically surpassed the record.
Since its opening in 2004, Orlando’s Pulse dance club had established itself as one of central Florida’s most vibrant centres for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) social life. On the night of the attack, the club was hosting its popular Latin Night, an event that drew from a broad cross section of the community. Just after 2:00 AM on June 12, 2016, more than 300 people were inside the club when the shooter, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, opened fire near the entrance.
At various times, Mateen had claimed solidarity with Hezbollah (a Lebanese Shīʿite militia allied with Syrian Pres. Bashar al-Assad), the Nusrah Front (a Syrian al-Qaeda client engaging in open warfare with Assad), and ISIL (which was fighting both of the previous groups). Mateen’s seeming inability to distinguish between these competing ideologies made his apparent self-radicalization no less dangerous, and it emphasized the threat posed by so-called “lone wolf” terrorists.
As the famous Chinese proverb well states, It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. In the aftermath of the Pulse Club terrorist attack, the One Pulse Foundation was established. The Foundation was established to create a sanctuary of hope to honor the 49 Angels that were taken, the 68 others who were injured and the countless first responders and healthcare professionals who treated them.
This fund is intended to support a memorial that opens hearts, a museum that opens minds, educational programs that open eyes and legacy scholarships that open doors. “Every human being is free to live their truth in a more understanding world full of love, unity, acceptance, hope, courage and strength. The Pulse Memorial is a sanctuary of quiet reflection and love dedicated to honoring the senseless loss of innocent life and remembering the horrible attack that occurred on June 12, 2016. If you are so inclined, you may donate via this link.
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