On Saturday, June 12, at 7 p.m. in Bloomington, Illinois, local organizations will remember the 49 lives lost at the Pulse Nightclub in 2016 with their fifth annual outdoor memorial service, according to a joint press release from the Prairie Pride Coalition and McLean County Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
The event will take place on the 300 block of North Main Street, outside the Bistro, an LGBTQ+ nightclub.
Prairie Pride Coalition (PPC), McLean County Moms Demand Action and the Bistro are co-sponsors of the event that seeks to raise awareness of gun violence and its disproportionate effect on minority communities, including the LGBTQIA+ and Latinx populations.
The event will include 49 youth volunteers holding signs with names of the people lost on June 12, 2016, when a shooter entered the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando and produced the deadliest incident in the history of violence against the LGBTQIA+ community. Fifty-three additional people were injured that evening in an act that also targeted the Latinx community.
The memorial also will recognize the efforts of first responders—law enforcement officials, paramedics and firefighters—who quickly responded at the scene, tended to wounded individuals and prevented further loss of life. Local first responders have been invited to attend.
Face coverings, sanitizer, and information about the co-sponsoring organizations and supportive organizations will be available at the memorial. The memorial will be livestreamed on PPC's Facebook page, at https://www.facebook.com/events/180561460633784.
The memorial is part of a full lineup of activities to commemorate June Pride Month. For a complete schedule of activities, contact PPC at info@ppc-il.org .
