Hundreds Gather At Fort Worth Church To Honor Orlando Victims
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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Hundreds filled the Celebration Church in Fort Worth on Monday for a candlelight vigil in honor of the lives lost in Orlando.
A community in mourning, took refuge inside one safe haven, following an attack on another.
"Long before we were welcomed in churches, we were welcomed in gay bars," said one speaker, highlighting the role gay bars have played as safe spaces for the LGBTQ community.
The names of the 49 people killed at Pulse nightclub, were read as congregants lit candles in their memory.
One of the victims, the nephew of a member of the Fort Worth community.
"When I found out about my family member, it killed me inside," said the woman as she addressed the crowd. She did not wish to be identified and later asked CBS 11 not to share her nephew's name.
Fort Worth Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald embraced the woman who is also a member of the police department's Citizens on Patrol program.
"We will not let fear dictate how we dispense freedom in the US," Chief Fitzgerald said.
Fort Worth police officers were never far away--a reassuring sight to crowds left feeling vulnerable after the attack.
"It's just scary. This could have been anywhere, it could have happened to anyone. It could have been me, it could have been us," said Darlene Grillot of Dallas.
"The police have been phenomenal, getting out and making sure we're safe, but at the same time, it still feels unsafe," said Grillot's wife Courtney. She specifically referenced the insecurity residents of Oak Lawn have felt in light of several attacks on gay victims.
The couple said attending Monday night's vigil was an opportunity to stand up to the fear.
"We can't hide. We can't just hide our love for one another," said Darlene Grillot.
"When a massacre like this occurs, the message that being sent is 'you will never be safe.' And we had to respond by saying, 'Oh yes we will!," said David Mack Henderson, president of Fairness Fort Worth.
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