Vigil for Orlando mass shooting victims held in Palm Desert
More than 100 people turned out for a vigil remembering the victims of the mass shooting at an Orlando gay nightclub, spreading the message that love conquers hate.
The Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus sang in front of a crowd of students, faculty and valley residents at the Cal State San Bernardino Palm Desert Campus on Wednesday night.
“The anger that I’m experiencing is that burning righteous indignation, that a wrong must somehow be righted, the loss of these 49 cut too-short lives reminds me of our interconnectedness,” said Mike Thompson, CEO of The LGBT Community Center of the Desert.
More local vigils planned for Orlando shooting victims
Spiritual leaders and members of the LGBTQ community took to the podium to express the theme that love conquers hate. Educators with CSUSB Palm Desert Campus echoed the same sentiment.
“Hate is not a normal feeling. People should respect others and should really celebrate other individuals, and that is what we teach here on this campus,” said Sharon Brown-Welty, dean of the Palm Desert Campus.
“Loss is loss and grief is grief. It is not quantifiable. So the slaughter of these people over the weekend and all of these nonsensical murders have all come together to represent the core of grief that everyone is working through,” said Cash Baxter, a teacher at the college.
Along with remembering the victims who died there was also ample discussion on what needs to be done to stop mass shootings, hate crimes, and terrorist attacks from happening. Including stopping the spread of radical Islam.
“The horror in Orlando was not about integration, it was not even primarily about guns, it was about institutionalized Muslim homophobia which becomes deadly with radical Islam,” said Fr. Howard Lincoln of Sacred Heart Church, Palm Desert.
Some students would like to see stricter gun regulations.
“We need to really be aware of the people that are getting possession of these firearms, because honestly I feel like some of these things can really be prevented,” said Nicole Phillips a liberal arts student studying to be a teacher.
A local candlelight march to honor the lives lost in the Pulse nightclub attack is set for Thursday. The march will begin 7:30 p.m. at Francis Stevens Park in Palm Springs and will go up Palm Canyon to Arenas Road then back to the park.
