Locals rally in solidarity against tragic shooting in Orlando

People told KION they are distraught over the shooting in Orlando, but they will not let it break them.

“This is a terrorist act but it is also a hate crime,” shouted Stella Moreno, Board member of the Diversity Center Santa Cruz. “There is no doubt about it.”

Full of sorrow and raw emotion, community members gathered at the clock tower in downtown Santa Cruz.

They are honored the lives lost and forever impacted by the horrific shooting in Orlando.

“It’s devastating,” said Santa Cruz resident Dawn Gray. “I just needed to be with my community for that love and support and just a sense of safety.”

They expressed their hurt, fear, but also hope and love.

”It’s ironic that an act of love is what brought on rage, horror, and murder,” said Moreno.

The group marched down Pacific Avenue to mobilize their message of acceptance and need for equality.

“We need to not be pushed back into the closet,” said GLBT chair Steph Taylor. “We need to not be fearing for our lives, we need to be able to live out and proud.”

Event organizers said the deadly shooting at Pulse Nightclub brings to light an ever present struggle within the LGBTQ community.

“There’s absolutely evidence of a hate crime in an immediate way,” said Adam Spickler with the GLBT Alliance.

Gray said she too has fearful moments, even in her own neighborhood.

“Walking down the street sometimes feel a little uncomfortable,” said Gray. “People have shouted things at me. I have felt unsafe sometimes.”

The march was intended to promote peace and love, but not everyone got the message.

Organizers told KION before the rally started, a man showed up spewing anti-gay hate speech next to a statue a few steps away from the rally. The statue also had anti-gay words and drawings beneath it.

“We live in Santa Cruz and people think that we’re nothing but open and free here,” said Taylor. “That is just one example of how we come across anti queer and other discriminatory verbiage and actions all the time.”

When asked what the solution is, locals said it is very complex, but yet so simple.

“American needs to understand that the LGBTQ community is them and they are us, we are one,” said Moreno.

Event organizers told KION they will continue to fight for quality of life for the LGBTQ community and to expect big events across communities to bring more awareness.