Reverend Kathy Schmitz: After Pulse

Posted on by Thor

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

Posted on by Thor

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

Posted on by Thor

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.

Former Orange County Mayor Theresa Jacobs

Posted on by Thor

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

Posted on by Thor

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.

Crossword

Posted on by Thor

Lo G and Colbonyx of Galia Social, are trying to send subtle 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. Duke was in a court case but was found innocent even though they know he was guilty.

In this case they are solving a large crossword puzzle in a museum.

1 across, the clue was, “An insurgent or agitator.”

2 across was, “A male holding the highest hereditary title in the British and certain other peerages.”

3 across was, “Dialectal present tense first-person and third-person singular.”

4 across was, “Culpable of or responsible for a specified wrongdoing.”

1 down was, “A piece of thick, stiff paper or thin pasteboard, in particular one used for writing or printing on.”

2 down was, “Not searched for, requested, or desired.”

3 down was, “A person who steals another person’s property, especially by stealth and without using force or violence.”

4 down was, “An assertion that is believed to be false.”

5 down was, “A long or rambling story, especially one that is implausible.”

Little Shop of Horrors

Posted on by Thor

The Orlando Shakes is presenting Little Shop of Horrors at the Lake Eola Band Shell through May 23, 2021. The Shakes is doing a good job at making these outdoor performances as safe as possible during this pandemic. Since the last time I was at the bandshell, the CDC had updated it’ policy on the use of masks saying it is fine to not wear a mask when outside. Last time I was at a performance here everyone in the audience had to wear a mask. This time they were told they could remove the masks once seated but put it on again when they got up. Pam and I kept out masks on though more than half the audience removed their masks during the show.

I got to study the set for some time before the show started. I loved posters that were added to the skid row walls that announced Spores! The spores pictured vastly resembled the COVID virus. The opening number had a full line of people in hazmat suits singing about a threat to our very existence. That was an added layer of pure genius to make the show particularly timely.

I am very familiar with the show and loved the casting choices made. This cast really could belt out the songs as well. The true star was Audrey 2 who was performed in glorious flamboyant drag with a pink gig, metallic green dress and plenty of bling. The plant itself was circular and opened slit-wise up and down like a vagina rather than a jaw.

When Mushnick mentioned red spatter on the flower shop floor, I flung some red spatters of paint at the sketch. For this show the loud automotive noises from downtown seemed to blend nicely with the skid row squalor of the show. The music of Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman are memorable.

India Godman: Pulse Survivor

Posted on by Thor

India Godman is a wife with two step children. Her son Chris West was also a survivor on the night of the Pulse shooting where 49 people lost their lives. Chris shot video inside the club just moments before the shooting started.

On that night they were in the VIP section which was close to the outdoor porch. Around 11:45 she was talking to Neema Bahrami  who ran events at Pulse. Then friends walked in. She noticed two guys at the edge of the VIP section and they were looking at her group. They looked like they were up to no good. Were they looking at their jewelry? On reflection she believes that one man was Omar Mateen wearing black. In passing, he asked if this was always a gay bar.

Last call for drinks was around 2:02AM. India was standing near the stripper pole. Mateen walked to the back of the club.

Then they heard the loud Brata Ta Ta Ta Ta Ta. The screaming started and the tables shook. She could taste the gun powder. “Get down!” “Get the F#ch out!”  They ran towards the porch. The door to get off the patio was locked, her friend kicked it in. She looked to her right and saw the guy shooting everybody and people dropped. 10-12 people ran out. The shooting turned towards the bathroom. She felt an impact on her leg and she fell to the floor. Thankfully she wasn’t shot. She feared a head shot. People who had been under chairs and tables ran out.

When she was outside she started shooting video on her phone. She and her son and friends ran towards the fire department. She wondered why the fire department wasn’t coming out. Then the police arrived and people who had been shot were taken to Orlando Health a few blocks north. Survivors were ordered behind Einstein Beagles. She continued recording. Shots seemed to come from everywhere. They were moved to the 7-11. They watched as bodies were being removed. Some were dead and other were struggling to survive.

She managed to get to her car and drive away. Is this truly the county the United States wants to be?

Strategy?

Posted on by Thor

This piece was originally started as a demo for my virtual digital illustration students at Elite Animation Academy. As I was painting, I started thinking about the strategy of chess, where you sacrifice many pawns to win the game. To date about 336,000 have been sacrificed as the POTUS practiced a strategy of herd immunity.

By politicizing the wearing of masks the POTUS guaranteed deaths. By contradicting public health experts, he created a divide among those that practice safety precautions and those that ignore all safety guidance. The nation has never been so divided, there is only black and white with no middle ground or swaying opinion with reasoning or thought.

Rather than swim upstream, health expert are quitting because they can not face the antagonism and threats of violence. Hospitals are being overwhelmed by people who refuse to accept that they have contracted the virus. The crisis could have been avoided but it continues to get worse just as the promise of vaccinations are on the horizon. People are scrambling to try and get the vaccine before it is too late. The rich are trying to bribe their way into getting the shots and in Florida those 65 and older are being offered the vaccine before front line health workers. My doctors office just sent out a mass e-mail letting everyone know that they do NOT have the vaccine. They must be getting an overwhelming number of requests. My older sister in south Florida has been trying to find where she can get her shots but keeps running across brick walls. There is a site set up to schedule appointments for vaccine shots and it was overwhelmed and shut down from all the traffic. COVID-19 broke the internet.

When Van Gogh shot himself in the corn field, black crows rose up from the crop, their black wings cutting across the sky. Mitch McConnell put a hold on a COVID relief bill for Americans unable to decide if each person should get $600 or $2000. For many it is too little too late.

Disinfecting the White House

Posted on by Thor

CNN reported that On January 20, 2021 president elect Joe Biden plans to give the White House a deep cleaning before he and his family move in. Throughout the campaign Joe has consistently worn masks and practiced social distancing in stark contrast to Trump’s super spreader rallies.

The General Services Administration (GSA), is handling what will be a “thorough disinfecting and cleansing” of every surface in the 55,000 square foot mansion. Rugs and window treatments, if kept, will also be deep-cleaned.

In November 2020 there were multiple outbreaks of COVID-19 in the White House even infecting the first family. GSA began using a mist disinfectant throughout the building at that time. Staff in full hazmat-looking suits misting widely used areas such as the briefing room.
According to federal financial docs, obtained by TMZ, the Public Building Service agency’s dropping nearly $29,000 on the cleaning service in the East and West Wing “due to COVID-19 at the White House.” The White House has been a hot spot for the spread of the virus and continues to be as 20 Christmas parties are held this month inside it’s walls.
NBC News reported that back in April, 2020 the White House invested up to $600 million dollars on 60 washing machines that could disinfect N95 face masks for up to 20 times.  The machines use vapor phase hydrogen peroxide which as it turns out degrades the masks after two or three washes. There was no open bidding process for the contract and of course Trump doesn’t like wearing masks, he feels they make him look less masculine.