When one pictures Orlando, the first thing that comes to mind is amusement parks, great weather, and perfect vacation getaways. This past weekend, however, shook the Sunshine state—and the nation—to its core as bloodshed overwhelmed the local community.
On Friday afternoon, the 22-year-old singer who made her name on NBC’s “The Voice,” Christina Grimmie, posted a video to her Twitter and Facebook accounts jovially inviting her fans to watch her perform. Shortly after her performance, she stepped out to sign autographs for fans where she was approached by 27-year-old Kevin James Loibl.
After opening fire, he fatally shot Grimmie. He was tackled by the singer’s brother before fatally shooting himself.
This shooting brought heartbreak to fans all over the world and left people on high-alert. Celebrity friends that have worked with Grimmie, such as Selena Gomez and Adam Levine, both mourned the passing of Christina Grimmie. This event left a small spark that would later burn into flames.
Two days later, the nation’s deadliest mass shooting occurred in Orlando as well. Omar Mateen killed 50 people and injured 53 at Pulse, a gay nightclub, late Sunday night. The victims found a place where they could be themselves and let go, but they were still targeted. The nation and the world are mourning the death of these victims.
The hashtag “Love is Love” was trending on Twitter in light of the shooting. Photos of the victims with their significant others were spread across social media after the names were released.
Yet, the attacker’s motives are unclear. It was released that Mateen was seen at Pulse nightclub for at least three years prior to the attack, as well as found on gay datings apps like Grindr and Jack’d. However, it was also discovered that Mateen pledged to ISIS leading up to the attack.
His ex-wife, Sitora Yusify, told Daily Mail News that he might have attacked the nightclub because of the turmoil about his sexual preference— not because he was an Islamic extremist. Yusify also reported that she had seen Mateen’s father calling him gay on multiple occasions, which then led to Mateen showing his father that he is homophobic.
“If he was gay, why would he do something like this?” His father claimed. He added his son had once been angered by seeing two men kiss in Florida.
The Orlando shooting especially highlighted the homophobia and Islamophobia that have plagued our nation for decades. Mateen was a Muslim born in the United States yet this information didn’t stop Presidential candidate, Donald J. Trump, from emphasizing his immigration policy.
“America must now get very tough, very smart and very vigilant. We cannot admit people into our country without extraordinary screening,” he tweeted.
Meanwhile, opposing candidate, Hillary Clinton targets the fact that the shooter was born in the U.S., showing that the solution to this isn’t cutting immigration, but setting gun regulations.
“Trump’s Muslim ban is wrong, dangerous, and in this instance, nonsensical. The terrorist in Orlando was born in Queens–just like Donald,” she tweeted. “People of different faiths, backgrounds, sexual orientations, and gender identities are coming together to say: we won’t let hate defeat us.”
And that is exactly what is happening. Later Sunday afternoon, James Wesley Howell was headed to an L.A. Gay Pride Festival, allegedly accompanied by an arsenal of weapons. His car was found to have had three rifles with high-capacity magazines, ammunition, and a 5-gallon bucket filled with chemicals that can be used to create an explosion.
His motives are still unclear as it was stated he was there to “attend the event.” However, after the mass shooting earlier that day, it was reasonable to enhance the security and take other precautionary measures.
In light of the Orlando shooting, another mass shooting was swept under the rug. Five people— four of them children— were shot to death in Roswell, New Mexico. It was reported that a relative checking on the family found the bodies late Saturday night. The bodies were then identified as the attacker’s wife and four daughters.
With these recent acts of violence where people look to be themselves and have fun: at a concert, a gay club, a pride festival, and with family members, the public’s eyes have been opened to the reality that safety cannot be found anywhere unless something is done about a multitude of issues: the regulation of guns, the defeat of ISIS, and the battle against homophobia.
