Reverend Kathy Schmitz: After Pulse

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Advisory: Please note that this post is about the Pulse Nightclub Massacre on June 12, 2016. It may contain sensitive and difficult to read content. Post written with narrator’s consent.  

Reverend Kathy Schmitz is from the First Unitarian Church. The church provided grief counseling for many first responders after the Pulse Nightclub Massacre.

On June 11, 2016 an intern at the church as doing the last service. When Kathy got out of bed she felt relaxed and she checked the headlines. She saw that there had been a shooting on Orange Avenue. She did not know Pulse at the time. She thought, maybe this was a drug deal gone wrong. She didn’t know the scale of what had happened.

At 7:45, the intern called and mentioned the headlines. They decided that the intern would start the service and then have the children’s story early which wold open up the service to just the adults. Details were still scarce. The first details about the scale of the event didn’t come out until 10AM and the service was at 11AM. People stated showing up for service early. She monitored things from the back row while the intern gave her sermon.

Logan Donahue is a member of the church and he arranged to connect Kathy with the Center’s director Terry DeCarlo. The blood mobile just happened to be at the church that morning. She called the hospital to see if they needed chaplains but they were covered. Just after 11AM Dr. David Hargove asked if the church could provide space for counseling for a couple of days. The church has six classrooms which could be used. Counseling began at 1PM that day. Dr. Hargrove had 600 licensed therapist volunteers on his list. The rooms were constantly staffed. In some ways it was just as important for the counselors to be there. They helped each other in coming to terms with what they would have to deal with inn the coming weeks.

Donations began to pile up at the church. Food was donated to the coalition of the homeless. The Tom Brady campaign was looking for space, Equality Florida ended up using the library as a community organizing space. The church staff stepped up to the plate to make it all work. On the first night they were warned against having vigils because there were safety issue. In the library people were gathered trying to arrange a vigil for Monday June 13, 2016. The city was saying, ‘Don’t do it.’ Someone dialed the Mayor Buddy Dyer at 11PM. They left a message saying ‘There is going to be a vigil, we need to find a way to make it work.’ The next morning the mayors office called with multiple people on the line and they said, ‘OK we here that there has to be a vigil but give us an hour to find a location.’ The location was changed from the Lake Eola Bandshell to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

Then the media began it’s barrage of interview requests. About 20 church staff and volunteers went to the Dr. Phillips Center to help set up  for the vigil. She was involved with the vigil. She spoke prior to the tolling of the bells. The bells were on a timer. The program was running behind. There was a rush to get her on stage but then they found out the bells had been reprogrammed. It was hot. She wasn’t certain exactly when the bells would ring so she had to time what she said. Improv classes she had takes at SAK helped keep her on track. She asked all gathered to take a moment to reflect prior to the ringing. She felt responsible for holding the space for 7000 people. The ringing of those bells for about 8 minutes was the most intense moment of her life.

Interfaith After Pulse

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Advisory: Please note that this post is about the Pulse Nightclub Massacre on June 12, 2016. It may contain sensitive and difficult to read content. Post written with narrator’s consent.  

Imam Taric Rashid was highly involved in Interfaith and Muslim community in the aftermath of the Pulse Nightclub shooting.

It was Ramadan in June of 2016, and Rashid had finished his early prayer. He got home about 8AM. As he settled in for a nap he decided to check the news on his iPhone. CNN was reporting about a shooting at Pulse.

Shortly after he got a call from law enforcement. They asked if everyone in the community was safe. They told him to be on alert and call if anything seemed wrong around the mosque. From then on they ere in touch. There was a concern about the safety of the mosque. During Ramadan attendance is high so security had to be hired.

Iman Rashid went to the Pulse site. There were many Muslim counselors fir the survivors. They brought food and drinks.

For the next month, his schedule became incredibly busy. He was everywhere holding interfaith activities,, going to churches, and trying to stress that the violence has nothing to do with Muslim faith. The shooter was an outsider from Fort Pierce Florida.

Media from all over the world descended on the mosque. Everyday there were interviews. The mosque worked with county a and city officials. It was a hectic time. Hate filled e-mails and answering machine messages began surfacing. There was a concern that there might be a backlash much like after 9-11. Law enforcement tracked down some of the suspects. Much of his efforts were in convincing people that it is fine to go to the mosque to pray.  Despite this attendance dropped.

Candle light vigils and special prayer services were held at the mosque. They were interfaith services with Jews, Christians and Muslims. He held an interfaith service on the evening after the shooting. It was organized in two hours and he didn’t expect people to come but he was shocked but the huge crowd many from the LGBT community. The candlelight vigil was held next to the road and traffic came to a stop. For the next 20 minute they preyed. It was a moment for all faiths to pray for peace. united in condemning these acts of violence.

Pastor Vallo

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Advisory: Please note that this post is about the Pulse Nightclub Massacre on June 12, 2016. It may contain sensitive and difficult to read content. Post written with narrator’s consent.  

Pastor Paul Vallo‘s Christ Unity Church, provided immediate response to first responders in the aftermath of the Pulse Nightclub shooting for 11 days in June of 2016.

The church was outgrowing the property they had on Orange Avenue but, when the pulse attack took place and the congregation at Christ Unity had the chance to respond, they felt like it crystalized the reason why they were there. They had a unique ability to respond to a need in the community. The church has always been about community outreach.

On the morning of June 12, 2016, Pastor Vallo was contacted and told that there was a shooting at Pulse but no one knew the extent of the incident. The Pastor, staff and volunteers arrive very early in the morning to the church. Many had trouble getting to the church since the church was behind police lines. Many had to walk on foot to try and get past police lines. There clearly was no way that there could be services that day.

Staff and volunteers gathered, and prayed for the victims. Immediately after prayers they went to the front doors and watched all the first responders who were walking up and down the sweltering street. The church has a cafe, so they took all the food and supplies and they put it out on the street. They stood outside and told people passing by that they should let people know that they had food at the church.  Volunteers worked to get more food and water to the church. The evening of the attack the church held a prayer vigil. The sanctuary was full. For the next 11 days they served first responders around the clock. A christian church needs to show compassion.

The media wasn’t allowed to come in. They wanted the church to be a sanctuary. It was a place where first responders could decompress, get out of the heat, get some good food. Restaurants began to respond and people donated amazing home cooked meals. They had enough to feed hundreds of people.

On woman from Orlando Police Department said she hadn’t slept or eaten anywhere for four days except in the church. Some people did not go to the prayer vigil because they feared the area might not be safe, but the pastor never felt fear. He sensed the anxiety, but they were behind police lines for a week and a half.  The Florida Governor Rick Scott conduced much of his work from inside the church.

Pastor Vallo was interviewed by BBC and CNN. Most of his efforts were focused on meeting the needs of first responders. At a vigil at SODO development next to the church, some people were asking, how do we make sense of this? He responded, You can’t make sense of a mad man. There is no reason, there is no logic. The only thing that could be done was to respond to it, rather than try and figure it out. We can not become the children of the shooter’s hatred. We have to respond with the opposite, with love, kindness and compassion.

A man who lives directly behind the Pulse Nightclub, had not left his home for four days after the shooting. He was having a panic attack in the yard. On the evening of the shooting it was like being in a war zone. Through the blinds he saw people running through the yard screaming covered in blood. Many people on the street hadn’t left their houses. They still were not sure what was going on outside. For weeks afterwards the pastor and others began going door to door doing wellness checks. If people needed medicine or food they helped find the resources. Some had no other need other than to talk about it.

Amanda Alvear

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Advisory: Please note that this post is about the Pulse Nightclub Massacre on June 12, 2016. It contains sensitive and difficult to read content. Post written with narrator’s consent.  

On March31, 2017 Pam Schwartz of the Orange County Regional History Center conducted an oral history with Myra Alvear the mother of Amanda Alvear who was one of the 49 victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting that happened on June 12, 2016. With Myra was Antonio Alvear, who is Amanda’s older brother.

Amanda had two jobs and went to college. She was pursuing a nursing career. She wanted to become a midwife. She was very outgoing and always available for friends and family. She had a perfect mix of being comforting but firm. She had hundreds of followers inn Instagram where she shared her workouts. She inspired people to loose weight.

Amanda loved going to Pulse to met friends. It was a safe place for her.

On June 12, Amanda watched Brian’s two daughters for the day and when they went to sleep at her mom’s she knew she could go out with friends. Amanda’s father, Daniel Alvear, was the first to hear the news at 7:30AM when Nancy called and said that there had been a shooting at Pulse. He turned on the TV news and called Brian. Daniel looked at his wife asleep and didn’t want to wake her up. She had already lost a child to cancer, how could he tell her. He didn’t want to deliver this bomb. Brian was in denial hoping she was with friends. News stations were already starting to call. Brian was using social media in the hopes of finding his sister. Amanda’s phone must have had 8000 text messages. She was not responding.

Myra and Daniel went to try and get news about Amanda. They ere sent to a hotel which was a nightmare in itself. Maybe Amanda was at the hospital and unconscious. Her name wasn’t showing up. When Myra and Daniel got back home, Myra just went to Amanda’s room and lay down. The people that were not on the list of verified or taken to the hospital, were likely still inside the club. There was a bomb scare as well. They couldn’t get everybody out.

Amanda wouldn’t hide, she would have to get all her friends out. She was a fighter like her mom.

Myra became an activist after loosing Amanda. She wants to help others. She founded Hugs Not Hate. The family had a chance to no only grieve, but fight for something. At a vigil for Amanda and Mercedez Marisol Flores, Myra spoke and then hugged everybody that was there. At Amanda’s funeral she also hugged everybody. Myra needed to find out how the other families were doing and she also found those who had been injured. Every day should would try to find out who was at the hospital. She needed to reach out. Everyone was grieving in their own way. She wants the legacy to be of love, not hate.

Narcoossee’s

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This would be the first time Pam and I have eaten out at a restaurant since the beginning of the pandemic. Pam had family visiting Disney and they invited us to Narccooee’s at the Grand Floridian.

Disney still requires guests to wear masks at all times except when eating. Pam’s family reported that they had all been vaccinated, but the younger boys who were seated at the far end of the table were below the vaccination age bracket.

Eating out requires trust as we all navigate a strange grey area. Pam felt comfortable since the table spacing was decent and the waiters all wore masks and face shields. I remain undecided since I am unsure of how ventilation is handled in the restaurant.  I have to remind myself that my chances of getting infected are just 5% since I am fully vaccinated. Every sketch outing will be a case of risk analysis moving forward.

Lori was seated next to me and she is an artist herself. Her mom showed me a sketch done while the pastor was giving a sermon. Lori would interpret the sermon as a series of illustrations. She showed me a storyboard and animatic  college assignment on her phone and there was some compelling animated transitions. She is also deeply into robotics and I got to see some of her teams creations at work. I showed her a recently completed animation but the soundtrack was impossible to hear over the background noise in the restaurant. Until that moment I hadn’t realized just how loud the place was. I love creating to this excited sound of people gathering and socializing. Ive missed that energy.

I sketched quickly before the food arrived at the table, ignoring bread and appetizers. The meal was amazing. I ordered scallops served with Gnocchi. The dish had a delicious smoky flavor. Desert was a carrot cake with boba and some sweet smear on the plate. One of my most terrifying experiences prior to this evening was sucking up some boba through a wide straw while drinking a bubble tea. It was like sucking eyeballs into my mouth. I have since refrained from ever again eating boba. Destiny agreed to take the eyeballs off my plate.

In the lake outside the windows a parade of floats lit up with sea creatures like sea horses pulling Poseidon, dolphins leaping, an octopus and the Loch Ness Monster. Later all the floats were illuminated with American Flags. I was a bit disappointed that none of the floats were illuminated with a giant COVID virus.

Community: 5 Years After the Pulse Tragedy

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COMMUNITY: 5 Years After the Pulse Tragedy is on exhibit May 29 to August 15, 2021, at the Orange County Regional History Center (65 E. Central Blvd.
Orlando, Florida 32801.)

The Pulse nightclub shooting in June 2016 and the subsequent response forever changed Orlando – exemplified by the immense outpouring of support and love shown by locals in the days, months, and years that followed. However, the impact of the tragedy was not limited to the physical boundaries of Central Florida.

The History Center’s 2021 remembrance exhibition, examines how communities of all kinds were touched both locally and across the globe. Visitors will follow the story of Pulse nightclub, from its earliest conception through 2016, as well as the response to the devastating event and the lasting impact in the time since. Through the telling of this important part of our collective history, the museum seeks to celebrate the spirit of community and honor the 49 victims and all of those affected.

To ensure that this exhibition is accessible to the entire community, the History Center will offer free admission June 5 -13, 2021. The white memorial crosses will be available for viewing June 11-13, 2021. The exhibit was partly sponsored by The Contigo Fund.

On June 4, 2021 there will be a Lunch & Learn program at the museum: Pulse: Looking Back Over the Past Five Years. This is a free program through the Zoom platform. You can register and learn more online.

Former Orange County Mayor Theresa Jacobs

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Advisory: Please note that this post is about the Pulse Nightclub Massacre on June 12, 2016. It contains sensitive and difficult to read content. Post written with narrator’s consent.  

Former Orange County Mayor Theresa Jacobs knew nothing of the Pulse Nightclub before June 12, 2016. She had driven past many times, but didn’t know it was a nightclub.

The events that unfolded in the 24 your after the mass shooting that took the lives of 49 Orlando citizens. The morning of the shooting her primary thought was, “This can not be happening.” Her husband woke her up. There was a sense of urgency. The next moment she was on the phone with a sheriff’s deputy.  It might have been abut 5AM. Her next thoughts were how quickly can I get out the door and what do we need to do. There is some comfort in being able to do something.

It was so unbelievable that something that horrible could happen. She remember when the numbers jumped from 20 to close to 50.

Parking was a nightmare as she and an officer looked for the command center. Walking down the street she saw a bloody tennis shoe. Her heart sank. The intellectual part of her shut down any feelings and she got to work. The Orange County safety director was on site. He is also an emergency room physician at Orlando Regional Medical Center. He wasn’t on duty the night of the shooting but he was with her on the ground.  Initially one of the concerns was, are there still people inside who might have a pulse and can still be rescued.  The building was not secure, there was talk of bombs. Her primary job was to inform the public. There was an unfolding trauma throughout the community and throughout the nation.

The next step in the process was to try and connect family members with survivors. They estimated it might take 5 to 7 days to go through the autopsies. Family members did not know for certain the status of their loved ones. One survivor was in the hospital in a coma. He did not have ID on him. Over the next two days they tried to determine who he was and how to contact his family.

She walked out to brief the media with Chief Mina. There were so many cameras. People were sitting on the street. When Mina announced the numbers people couldn’t believe it. Someone shouted out “15”. They had misheard him assuming it had to be 15 since the numbers prior had been 20. No one could comprehend the number.

Jean Carlos Nieves Rodreguez

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Advisory: Please note that this post is about the Pulse Nightclub Massacre on June 12, 2016. It contains sensitive and difficult to read content. Post written with narrator’s consent.  

Jean Carlos Nieves Rodriguez was one of the 49 who died on the evening of June 12, 2016 at the Pulse Nightclub shooting. Staff of the Orange County Regional History Center visited the Rodriguez home to talk to his mother about his life.

Jean Carlo always had high aspirations of working hard.  He was working as a manager in Miami. Just a few months before his death he and his mother bought a house with a pool. His mother DiMarie Rodriguez invited us to that home. DiMarie speaks Spanish and a translator helped conduct the oral history. Jean Carlos sister, Valeria Monroig, was in the kitchen. Once, he told his sister, “I love you more than I love myself.” He always watched out for the family. The room echoed, feeling empty.

Since the house had a pool Jean Carol’s friends would often come over and his mom loved the activity. They brought an energy to the home. On June 13, 2016 they decided to have a BBQ but she had to work, so they pushed it back to June 15, 2016.

Jean Carlos group of friends were debating about what they should do on June 12 and they decided to go to Latin Night at Pulse. This was his fort time going to Pulse. A roommate of Jean Carlos was going back to Columbia on June 16, 2016.  They all decided they should celebrate Wakim’s birthday early. All the friends met at the house before gong to Pulse. They hung out by the pool and had a few beers.

Jean and his mom had a tradition of texting each other before bed. She might text “Night, night” and he might follow with “Love you” to which she would text “Love you more.” That night as she was getting ready for bed she texted, “Night night.” That night she didn’t hear back from him and at 3AM she bolted straight up in bed. She checked his bedroom and the bed was immaculately made. Her heart sank. She texted him, “Where are you?” “Are you still hanging out?” At 5:16 AM she was texting him again. She texted again at 10:47AM as well. She hoped he was with his group of friends. She tried texting again from work. While at work she heard there was a shooting at a downtown club.

Once she found out the shooting was at Pulse, she called her best friend and asked her to help find her son. Her friend could help since she knew English. Her friend called back and said, “You need to leave right now.” She explained that the hospital was full and everything in the area was locked down. “You need to go find your son because this is huge.” She didn’t know where to start looking. She drove to the hospital and found one of the moms who was a long time friend. Together they tried to get information. They were eventually moved to the hotel across the street. There they waited for the survivors list to come out. She prayed for the strength to get through the ordeal.

In a vision she saw him face down. She knew she shouldn’t hope to see his name on the survivor list. By 10AM she officially knew. They came to her house to let her know. Over 700 people showed up for his services. It was overwhelming to see the public outpouring. The Osceola Parkway had to be shut down for the funeral procession. Jean Carlos was laid to rest in Puerto Rico with his grandmother. She regrets that decision and hopes to one day have him back.

Guess Who

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What to O.J. Simpson, George Zimmerman, Casey Anthony, The 45th U.S. President and The Duke have in common? They were all convicted a crime and got off.

Lo G and Colbonyx  are trying to send signs to the world that The Duke, their corrupt and greedy employer and CEO of a record label, is guilty for illegally supplying blood samples to Tim Nugget, CEO of a corrupt tech company called Manogen. The Duke was in a court case but was found innocent even though he wasn’t.

This is the premise for a series of illustrations I did for this local band. I branched towards caricature for the two band members in the series so things get a  bit distorted in a fun way.

Guess Who? is a two-player character guessing game created by Ora and Theo Coster, also known as Theora Design, that was first manufactured by Milton Bradley in 1979 and is now owned by Hasbro.

Each player starts the game with a board that includes cartoon images of 24 people and their first names with all the images standing up. Each player selects a card of their choice from a separate pile of cards containing the same 24 images. The objective of the game is to be the first to determine which card one’s opponent has selected. Players alternate asking various yes or no questions to eliminate candidates, such as:

  • “Is your person a CEO of a record label?”
  • “Is your person greedy?”
  • “Is your person wearing a top hat?

The player will then eliminate candidates (based on the opponent’s response) by flipping those images down until only one is left. Well-crafted questions allow players to eliminate one or more possible cards.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings

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From a September 23, 2020 Orange County Regional History Center Oral History with Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, “You have to be a bit of a realist in these processes where, no matter what you think, you won’t be able to make all the changes that need to be made in days, months. It will be decades of being in the fight. So I have been doing this now for four decades.”

“I know what I know about this. I’ve been in this fight for decades. I haven’t been sitting as a spectator in the arena. I’ve been in the arena.”

“So that is what I say to young people, ‘you want to really bring about change, you need to become the prosecutors, the defense attorneys, the judges, the police officers,  the school teachers, the doctors, the professors in college, the researchers, the entrepreneurs. You need to become all of those if you really want to bring about change.’ ”

“Otherwise they are going to be frustrated if they think that, it is going too happen like that, They are going to be so frustrated. I think that is what we see. Sometimes when you see the violence, the destruction, it is frustration manifesting itself. Because they really don’t understand what the fight is at this point.”