Transgender Day of Remembrance memorial held at Stonewall Inn as community calls for change after deadly Colorado shooting
NEW YORK -- New Yorkers gathered at the historic Stonewall Inn on Sunday to call for change and mourn the loss of lives in a mass shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado.
"We stand up for the lives of people," said Jay W. Walker, co-founder of the nonprofit Gays Against Guns.
It was part of a speech that he wishes he didn't have to give, and a speech that the dozens of people gathered outside the historic Stonewall Inn wish they didn't have to hear.
"We are not going to let these attacks on our community go unanswered. We will stand up. We will stand proudly," Walker said.
But to Walker and his nonprofit, those words are necessary.
The group had already planned a display and memorial to honor lives lost over the past year for Transgender Day of Remembrance, but after waking up to heartbreaking news, they also decried the mass shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs.
"What happened in Colorado is a pattern of hatred directed at our community that we have to stand strong against," said state Sen. Brad Hoylman.
"Our safe havens are under attack," said Ti Cersley, with Gays Against Guns.
Meanwhile, in Hell's Kitchen, police are investigating whether hate was the motive behind vandalism at the LGBTQ bar Vers.
Saturday night, the bar's security camera captured a man throwing a brick at a window. The owner says it's the fourth time it's happened in the past four weeks.
"It's unnerving. It makes me wonder whether we're being targeting. It was make me feel like... The brazenness of it is really surprising," he said.
NYPD stats show an increase in hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people over the last few years with 66 reported in 2019, 38 in 2020, and then, last year, it jumped to 95.
The most recent stats in the city's portal, through September of this year, show 74 for 2022.
While police are still investigating the motive in Colorado Springs, Walker says it brought back heartbreaking memories of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando.
"To have these sacred spaces continually attacked... We have stand proudly, we have to stay centered in our knowledge that we are on the right side of history," Walker said.
Gays Against Guns says they'll likely hold a separate vigil soon, specifically for victims of the Colorado shooting.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced flags on state government buildings will be flown at half-staff to honor the victims of the Colorado shooting and all state landmarks will be lit pink, white and light club in honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance.
