At the Center vigil in Las Vegas, call goes out for activism, gun control

By Chris Kudialis

Monday, June 13, 2016 | 2 a.m.

Rainbow-colored flags waved while candlelight illuminated homemade signs bearing messages of peace at the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada on Sunday as more than 600 attendees stood somberly for a vigil just hours after the greatest mass shooting in U.S. history.

"This should never happen," said Nevada State Sen. Pat Spearman, who organized the event. "We need to address this hatred and stomp it out at its roots."

The 90-minute vigil came less than 24 hours after police say 29-year-old Omar Mateen entered a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., early Sunday morning and opened fire on nearly 320 people in the venue with an AR-15 style assault rifle, killing 50 and wounding 53 more before being shot dead by responding officers, reports said.

Speaking at a news conference Sunday afternoon, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said it was "the most difficult day in the history of Orlando," while President Barack Obama labeled the shooting "an act of terror and hate."

On Sunday, more than 400 people gathered in the Center's main "Twelve Step" room, while an overflow crowd of about 200 more waited outside. The grieving crowd frequently broke into applause during statements by Nevada politicians and public figures, including Spearman, Congresswoman Dina Titus, Nevada State Sen. Aaron Ford, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak and Pastor Charlotte Morgan. The ceremony concluded with the lighting of candles as Spearman led the crowd in singing "No Man Is an Island."

"We have to leave here today to do something about these kind of crimes," Spearman said. "Don't leave here and just say it was good to be here."

Morgan, a well-known activist in the Las Vegas LGBT community, called the shooting "reprehensible." During a 10-minute statement, Morgan, who said she regretted remaining silent during recent mass shootings, said the shooting at the Florida nightclub, Pulse, should be a wake-up call for political activism.

"It is no longer time to say 'there are no words' for these horrible tragedies," Morgan said. "We are here to speak up and act out."

Also present at the vigil was Saira Haseebullah, representing the Islamic community Masjid Ibrahim. Haseebullah urged those in attendance not to associate Mateen, who police said called 911 to pledge his allegiance to ISIS before carrying out Sunday's shooting, with American Muslims.

Mateen was "not a member of our faith," but "a murderer," Haseebullah said.

"Our faith is built on compassion and understanding, on loving our neighbors and loving ourselves," she said of Islam.

Although the vigil was mostly calm, Goodman's statement was interrupted by a man who shouted, "Gun safety laws!"

When Goodman objected, crowd members began shouting chants of "Yes on One," a reference to a ballot initiative requiring firearms transfers to go through licensed arms dealers. Goodman cut her speech short and stepped off the stage.

Attendees in Sunday's crowd included Mike Dini, 55, and his husband, Rob Peters, also 55, of Las Vegas. Holding a homemade sign that read "We Are #Pulse" and "Stop #TrickleDownHatred," Dini said the two were there to join in a community effort to stop hateful political rhetoric, which he believed fueled such shootings.

"It's strength in numbers," he said of the vigil. "As a community, we can't tolerate any more of this."