ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Survivors and families of the 49 victims killed in the Pulse Nightclub massacre nine years ago got their first chance on Wednesday, roaming the long shy, LGBTQ+-friendly Florida venue before being replaced by a permanent monument that once was the worst mass shooting of the present day.
In a small group that spanned four days, survivors and families of the murdered people planned to spend 30 minutes in the space where Omar Meiten opened fire at the Latin Night celebration on June 12, 2016, killing 49 people and 53 injured. Maiten, who has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, is killed after a three-hour standoff with the police.
At the time, it was the worst mass shooting in modern American history. The pulse shooting death toll exceeded the next year when 58 people were killed and more than 850 injured in a crowd of 22,000 at the country music festival in Las Vegas.
The city of Orlando will purchase Pulse Property for $2 million in 2023 and build a permanent $12 million memorial to open in 2027. These efforts follow a multi-year, unsuccessful attempt by a private foundation run by the former club owner. The existing structure will be destroyed later this year.
“We can’t go back and resolve all the mistakes, without thinking it’s going to take nine years to reach this point, but all we can do is control the way we move forward together.”
The visit coincides with the 9th anniversary of the shooting
The opportunity to enter the nightclub will appear on the 9th anniversary of the massive shooting. Outside, oversized photos of the victims, rainbow flags and flowers hang on the fence of a makeshift memorial, and the site attracted visitors from all over the world. However, few people, other than investigators, were in the structure.
Around 250 survivors and families of the murdered people and their families responded to an invitation to walk around the nightclub this week. The family of the 49 murdered families can visit a site with up to six people in the group, and survivors can take one person. The club was cleaned and lights were set up before the walkthrough.
Those invited to the visit are given the opportunity to ask the FBI agents who slaughtered what happened. You are not allowed to take photos or videos.
Brandon Wolf, who was hiding in the bathroom when the gunman fired, said he had no intention of visiting, mainly because he currently lives in Washington. He said he wanted to remember Pulse as before.
“I think the tragedy is the place I feel is the closest to those stolen from me,” said Wolf, a national spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, a now LGBTQ+ advocacy group. “For survivors, the last time they were in that space was the worst night possible. It would be really hard to be in that space again.”
The mental health counselor had planned to be on hand to talk to people walking around the building.
Pulse’s original commemorative plan was lacking
Survivors and their families have wanted to set up a permanent monument to date. With previous efforts by a private foundation to build one flounder, the organization dissolved in 2023.
It was previously owned by Barbara, Rosario Poma and business owner Michael Panaggio. Barbara Poma was the executive director of the Onpulse Foundation, a nonprofit organization that made major efforts to build the monument and museum. She resigned as executive director in 2022 and left the organization in 2023 amid criticism that she wanted to sell her property instead of giving it to her. There have also been complaints about the lack of progress despite millions of dollars being raised.
The original project, published by the OnePulse Foundation in 2019, sought a $45 million museum and a permanent memorial. That estimate ultimately surged to $100 million. The city of Orlando has since outlined a more modest proposal and abolished the museum’s plans.
“The building may come down and we may finally get a permanent monument, but that won’t change the fact that this community has been hurting forever,” Wolf said. “There are people in the community who still need support and resources and who still need it.”
