Orlando massacre hits home in Long Beach

“I remember waking up Sunday morning, and it’s not the first thing you expect,” Long Beach resident Tommy Larson, 33, who is gay, said as he recalled hearing about the worst mass shooting in American history. “And then I found out it was at a gay club. I grew up in Long Beach, and I’ve never once had a bad reaction or come up against any negativity, but when you see something like that, who hates someone that much and kills innocent bystanders, it’s hard to process.”

Larson was among the countless residents of communities across Long Island who expressed sadness, shock and confusion in the days after the attacks at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, in which 49 people were killed and more than 50 injured.

As the harrowing details emerged this week, local police and community organizations ramped up security, and gathered for prayer. The city planned to hold a candlelight vigil on Wednesday at Kennedy Plaza to remember the victims and stand in solidarity with the LGBT community.

“There were so many young people who lost their lives in the attack, and it affects us all,” City Councilwoman Anissa Moore, who called for the vigil, said on Tuesday. “And many people who lost their lives … were not only gay but also black and Latino, and there are young people who live right here in Long Beach who have frequented that particular club.”

The attack occurred just days after Long Beach announced that it would partner with the LGBT Network to host the Long Island PrideFest and Parade next year.

“I think [the attack] will definitely resonate a lot more with our next pride event in Long Beach next year,” LGBT Network CEO David Kilmnick said on Tuesday. “Last night we had a vigil in Bay Shore that brought out over 1,000 people, and it was incredibly moving and powerful and very diverse. It really brought the Long Island community together to heal and move forward for meaningful change in our country.”

June is not only LGBT Pride Month, but also Gun Violence Awareness Month, and Moore said that she and others intended to call for an end to gun violence at Wednesday’s vigil.

U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice pointed out that the man who carried out the attack, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, used a semiautomatic assault-style rifle and handgun, both of which he legally purchased from a Florida gun shop, despite the fact that he had been questioned by the FBI about possible terrorist ties. Rice said she had cosponsored legislation to reinstate the federal assault weapons ban and to ban the sale of the high-capacity ammunition feeding devices that facilitate high-speed firing.

“We know that this man carried out the worst mass shooting in American history by using an AR-15 military-style assault rifle –– the same type of weapon used in mass shootings at a holiday party in San Bernardino, Calif.; at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore.; at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo.; and at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., among others,” she said.

Rice and Moore also noted the apparent complexity of the shooter’s motives. According to published reports, Mateen had expressed homophobic sentiments and was angered after he saw gay men kissing in Orlando. Other reports stated that he had frequented Pulse over the past several years. At the same time, he had reportedly called authorities during the massacre to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist organization.

“In the days and weeks to come, we have a lot of questions to answer about why and how this attack occurred,” Rice said. “Whether or not the shooter had connections to a larger terrorist network, we know that lone-wolf attacks by radicalized individuals are one of the most serious and most challenging threats facing our country right now, and we have to continue to improve the way we confront that threat.”

“It’s complex because you have gender, race, you have age, and you also have religion, and then you have this issue of mental health,” Moore added. “You have all of these factors, and that’s what makes this so very difficult to deal with. I know there are people in Long Beach who don’t fully feel comfortable coming out. Homophobia is wrong, and I think as a result of the tragedy, more people are going to take a stand, and it’s important for all of us, as a city, to come together.”

“I’m hoping that with something like this, for once everyone is solidly for the gay community — I hope it rallies people,” Tommy Larson said. “Me personally, I don’t differentiate between terrorism and a hate crime — in a sense, all terrorism is a hate crime.”