NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — LGBT communities around the country offered support and planned vigils Sunday, after a shooting killed 50 people at an Orlando nightclub.
The attack on the Pulse nightclub early Sunday was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
In New York, people flocked to the historic Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village Sunday evening to grieve the deaths.
Mourners cried, embraced one another and left flowers in front of the tavern, at 53 Christopher St. In front of the red brick façade, Cameron Cano stood proudly with a rainbow flag draped over her shoulders.
“This is where the LGBT rights movement started, and I think the Stonewall represents hope,” she said.
The Stonewall Inn became a national symbol of gay rights after a 1969 police raid led to violent street riots.
Cano said even though we have come a long way since 1969, but there are still those who hate the LGBT community.
“What we have to look at is the fact that this was a hate crime, and this was an attack. This was an attack on my community,” she told WCBS 880’s Mike Smeltz reported.
Stonewall later held a vigil for the shooting victims outside the bar.
“The LGBT community in NYC stands in solidarity with the communities in Orlando. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and those who had to experience such hateful violence,” Stonewall Inn said in a Facebook post.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families in Orlando. We stand in solidarity and in sadness with our entire LGBT community
— THE STONEWALL INN (@TheStonewallNYC) June 12, 2016
“The LGBT community in NYC stands in solidarity with the communities in Orlando. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and those who had to experience such hateful violence,” the Stonewall Inn said in the Facebook post.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families in Orlando. We stand in solidarity and in sadness with our entire LGBT community
— THE STONEWALL INN (@TheStonewallNYC) June 12, 2016
Pride flags were also unfurled outside of City Hall to honor the Orlando Shooting victims and to stand in solidarity with the LGBT community.
FULL STORY |PHOTOS | Local Response| 5 Deadliest Mass Shootings In U.S. | Info On Suspect | National Reaction |NYC Mourns
“It’s an act of terror, theres no question about that,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “And it’s an act of hate.”
NYPD Chief of Department James O’Neill says there will be an increased police presence at LGBT institutions, nightlife venues and crowded areas, WCBS 880’s Stephanie Colombini reported.
“I will be working with the LGBT community not just in Manhattan but in the outer boroughs also to make sure we deploy properly to make people not only safe but to feel safe throughout the city.”
In West Hollywood outside Los Angeles, the LA Pride Parade went on as usual following the massacre in Orlando – and also after a heavily-armed man was arrested and told police he was in the area for the West Hollywood parade.
The LA PRIDE Parade and Festival will continue today as we stand strong. #ThePrideMustGoOn pic.twitter.com/WWOLWagSU8
— LA PRIDE (@LAPRIDE) June 12, 2016
At a news conference before the West Hollywood Parade, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said no one would not be intimidated.
“As Americans, we will not shrink away, we will not be stuck in our homes, we will not go back in our closets. We are out here to march, to celebrate and to mourn,” Garcetti was quoted in the Los Angeles Times.
The LA Pride Parade began with a moment of silence Sunday, according to published reports.
A vigil was also planned for Sunday evening in San Francisco’s Castro District.
“San Francisco stands in solidarity with the community of Orlando and the nation in the aftermath of this terrible day,” San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said in a statement.
“This is a stark reminder that violence still threatens our LGBT community. Senseless acts of violence against innocents, fueled by hate and easy access to deadly firearms, have become all-too frequent. We must continue to work each day to reduce gun violence and ensure every community is safe.”
In Washington, D.C., the Washington Post reported the tone turned solemn at the Capital Pride Festival, which was in progress on Sunday.
The Post quoted David Marnier, executive director of the DC Center for the LGBT Community: “It’s a sad day for all of us and a powerful reminder that there’s still a lot of hatred in the world. Much work remains all around the world. And much work remains right here in the District of Columbia.”
The events in Orlando were also on the minds of those who attended the Philadelphia Pride Parade on Sunday.
One man, Matt, told KYW Newsradio he used to live in Orlando and had been to Pulse nightclub.
“It’s imperative we continue to do events like this. I was even more empowered to come out today and march in this parade today and make sure my voice gets heard,” he said.
Security was also tightened at the Philadelphia Parade, said Police Chief Inspector Joe Sullivan.
Across Pennsylvania, the Orlando victims were honored at the Pittsburgh Pride Equality March.
This year the theme of the Equality March was “Together We Are Stronger.” That theme has an even broader meaning.
“I think if you look around you see people of all shades — black, white, straight and gay, Jewish and Christian, they all here together saying “together we are stronger.” And we pay homage to the families of the victims in Orlando,” Candy Castleberry Singleton, chief executive officer of Dignity & Respect, was quoted by CBS Pittsburgh.
“When one of us is harmed, it’s an in justice to us all and we just have to recognize we are in this together,” Pittsburgh Police Chief Cameron McLay told CBS Pittsburgh.
Many in Chicago’s LGBT community also planned vigils for the victims Sunday evening – one of them at the busy intersection of Halsted and Roscoe streets in the city’s Boystown district, and one outside Hamburger Mary’s restaurant in the Andersonville section.
The brunch crowd at Drew’s on Halsted was tuned in to news coverage of the shooting massacre that left at least 50 people dead, and 53 wounded. It was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
Owner Drew Johnson told CBS Chicago he won’t give in to fear, but he acknowledged something similar could happen in Chicago.
“It is something that I worry about … and anywhere, any time – especially hate crime, let alone terrorism, or a combination of both,” Johnson said.
In downtown Detroit, the motor City Pride Festival went on as planned after the Orlando massacre, with some of those attending saying it was a chance to show support for the LGBT community.
Tiffany Simokovich, 28, of Port Huron told The Detroit News she didn’t feel like there was a risk in bringing her 5-month-old son, Jacob, to Hart Plaza for the parade. She says she felt safe being around so many people, saying she’s found that people take care of each other.
CBS Detroit reported a candlelight vigil for the Orlando victims will also be held Sunday evening outside the city hall in Ferndale, a northern suburb of Detroit.
“This month, as we remember those who fought in the Stonewall Riots of 1969, we also mourn the loss of our family who were killed in Orlando today,” said Julia Music, chair of Ferndale Pride, which had its pride festival Saturday, June 4.
In Cleveland, the LGBT Cleveland Community Center posted to Facebook, “Our thoughts and love go out to everyone in Orlando,” and advised that the center would provide support and people to speak to on Monday.
In St. Louis, flags were being lowered to half-staff in honor of the victims, and a vigil was planned for Sunday evening at the Transgender Memorial Garden of St. Louis. The main focus of the vigil will be ending violence and promoting understanding, CBS affiliate KMOV-TV reported.
In Houston, organizers emphasized that a Pride Parade will go on as planned on Saturday, June 25, CBS affiliate KHOU-TV reported. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner issued tweets mourning the loss of life in Orlando.
Houston stands with #Orlando, stands with the families of those killed or injured, with LGBT community and against this violence anywhere-st
— Sylvester Turner (@SylvesterTurner) June 12, 2016
It is past time for us as a country to come together against hatred toward any person(s) based on group affiliation-enough is enough, st
— Sylvester Turner (@SylvesterTurner) June 12, 2016
The Houston Astros and the Tampa Bay Rays also held a moment of silence for the Orlando victims before their game Sunday, KHOU reported.
Our deepest condolences to the friends, family and loved ones affected by the tragedy in Orlando. https://t.co/SerwhWCveT—
Houston Astros (@astros) June 12, 2016
Organizers of the Denver PrideFest said their event would likewise go on as planned next weekend.
Organizer Debra Pollock said parade and rally participants in Denver have always been security-conscious, but members of the GLBT Community Center of Colorado have also received training on how to deal with active-shooter situations. Another Colorado support group, One Colorado, is planning to get the active-shooter training in the near future.
In Boston, pride event organizers planned moments of silence at block parties scheduled this week to honor the Orlando victims.
A Boston Pride spokeswoman says the moment of silence was held at 4 p.m. Sunday at parties in the city’s Back Bay and Jamaica Plain neighborhoods.
#Bostonpride celebrations in JP under a shadow due to the #Orlando massacre. Miss #BostonPride moved here from FLA, s missing friends.
— KarynRegal (@Karynregal) June 12, 2016
Boston police spokeswoman Rachel Maguire told The Boston Globe that police will increase security at all of Sunday’s events in light of the shooting in Orlando.
Seattle also planned a vigil at Cal Anderson Park Sunday evening, and organizers of the Seattle PrideFest urged anyone in Orlando to give blood.
“An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, and we at PrideFest will use the rest of this season of Pride to renew our fight against forces of hate that seek to divide us and marginalize our community,” PrideFest organizer Egan Orion said in a statement published by CBS affiliate KIRO-TV.
And in St. Petersburg, Florida, about 100 miles removed from Orlando, organizers of St. Pete Pride said they considered the people of Orlando their family in Pride.
“No single act of hate can detour us from coming together as a community,” Eric Skains, Executive Director of St. Pete Pride, said in a news release published by CBS affiliate WTSP-TV. “Pride and unity is more important now than ever before. From the Stonewall Inn in New York and the UpStairs Lounge in New Orleans to the now Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, acts of violence at LGBTQ+ welcoming establishments has been part of our dark history. Each time our community has come together and silenced the voices of hate.”
ISIS claimed responsibility for the Orlando shooting, CBS News reports. The terror group’s news organization, Aamaq Agency, said the attack was “carried out by an Islamic State fighter.”
Names of some of the victims have been released by the City of Orlando as officials work tirelessly to identify individuals and notify family.
Among them are:
Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 years old
Stanley Almodovar III, 23 years old
Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20 years old
Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22 years old
Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36 years old
Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22 years old
Luis S. Vielma, 22 years old
At least 53 other people were hospitalized, most in critical condition, officials said.
The gunman was identified as Omar Mateen, 29, a U.S. citizen from Port St. Lucie.