Philadelphia Holds Vigil for Orlando Shooting Victims

Last night was a beautiful scene of tolerance and compassion as hundreds of LGBT Philadelphians and allies gathered outside of City Hall for a candlelit vigil in honor of the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida. It was been an emotional last few days for Philadelphia’s LGBT community, with Pride taking place over the weekend (with an increased police presence, both to deter any issues and to make attendees feel safer) and a national spotlight on the hate crime that killed forty-nine people and wounded as many more. The crowd outside City Hall eventually grew so large that JFK Boulevard had to be shut down.

Mayor Jim Kenney spoke at the vigil honoring victims of the Orlando shooting.

Heavy on the forefront of many attendees’ minds was the death of Akyra Murray, an 18-year-old Philly native and recent West Catholic High School graduate and basketball player. Murray was identified as one of the Pulse victims just hours before the vigil, and several attendees (among them her family, friends, and teammates) held signs with her name on them.

Mayor Jim Kenney was on hand, giving a brief speech before ceding the microphone to other speakers. He called the shooting a “devastating moment” and made sure to tell “LGBT members of our Philadelphia community” that “we love you, we need you, we care about you, we have your back, and we want you to make sure you understand that you are not alone, that we are here with you.” Kenney also declined to call the shooting an event related to radical Islamic beliefs, reminding the crowd that this was not the time to pick on other marginalized groups. A number of Muslims were in attendance, and the vigil opened with an interfaith prayer.

City Council President Darrell Clarke took the time to address gun violence and the need for stronger gun control measures. “For someone to bring that many weapons and guns to a fight to kill people is utterly ridiculous,” said Clarke. “You do not need a gun with 30 bullets in the clip to shoot a deer, that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”

Many members of the crowd were Latino/a-identified. Pulse was having a Latin night when the shooting occurred.