"I will march for you today."From: NewNowNext
L.A.’s Pride parade will continue as planned today, but with a somber tone after the tragic news of the gay nightclub shooting in Orlando that killed 50 people.
Police officials are tightening security for the day’s events, and people have been encouraged to still come out as a way to memorialize victims and show that the LGBT community will not be silenced.
“Of course we are grieving and angry and we need to express that,” said Lorri L. Jean, chief executive of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. “We also need to make sure we don’t allow this hateful incident to silence us.”
Christopher Street West, the nonprofit organizers responsible for L.A. Pride, and the city of West Hollywood will be holding a news conference and then a moment of silence before the parade begins.
“Forty-six years ago, members of the LGBTQ community came out in cities across the country in response to the Stonewall riots,” said L.A. Pride President Chris Classen in a statement. “Today, we are heartbroken that so many of our brothers, sisters and allies were lost in this tragic [attack]. As we remember them today at our moment of silence, we must continue to show our pride, not just today but every day.”
Residents of West Hollywood have already been seen holding Pride flags that say “Not Afraid” and making signs that say “We are Orlando.”
Other cities celebrating Pride this weekend, including Pittsburgh and Washington D.C., have also said they will hold a moment of silence, in addition to increasing security.
Meanwhile, police in Santa Monica have just discovered assault rifles, ammunition and possible explosives in the car of a man claiming he was going to L.A. Pride.
The man has been arrested and the FBI has taken over the investigation.
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