Pulse Memorial Sites

29 June 2016 – Wednesday

I got back from England last night and felt the need to visit the Pulse memorials today. It’s been just over two weeks since the Pulse massacre and while being overseas I felt so helpless toward the situation back home. I drove down to the Dr. Phillip’s site that had become the de facto site for remembrance of the 49 victims and 53 injured. There were still a lot of flowers and other tributes there. The hot sun had dried most of the flowers but the spirits of the victims and the love of our city was very present. As I walked around the memorials and read the names of those killed it brought so much sadness. Most were in their twenties and thirties but ranged from 19 to 50. Sad stories for all.  I spoke with a lady who was also there for the first time. One of the strongest feelings we sensed was the love and empathy of the people of Orlando. There were also tributes from around the nation and abroad.

I then drove the mile and a half down Orange Avenue to Pulse. Law enforcement had only recently reopened the street after having been closed for more than a week while the investigations occurred. There were maybe twenty people there paying their respects. The sidewalk was laden with religious votives, flowers, rainbow colored items, etc. Hanging on the chainlink fence were messages, photos, even paintings.

After leaving Pulse I went up the block to the hospital where forty-nine wooden crosses were spread along the sidewalk on Lake Beauty. The crosses had been made by a man from Illinois and then driven down. After this man’s brother had been murdered several years before he has been making crosses for gunshot murder victims. Whether or not the victims were Christian this was another act of love from a stranger from across the country. Click to see my video of each of the 49 crosses. 

Story of 49 crosses and their creator.