After Pulse: Michael Farmer

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.

Michael Farmer work up on June 12, 2016 to a group text message from the CEO of Equality Florida to make sure everyone was alright. The only detail in the text was that there was a shooting. When he got on social media the first thing to pop up on his news feed was live footage from a local news outlet of the scene outside of Pulse Nightclub. The first people in the frame were a friend J.P. Cortez and Drew Leinonen‘s mother. That is when the seriousness of the situation sank in.

Michael was in Sarasota at the time and immediately drove back to Orlando. Back in Orlando Sunday morning he had a conference call with Equality Florida staff. Not everyone got on the call, some were still sleeping. They debriefed and then they started thinking through what roll they could play moving forward to help. They aren’t a direct service agency so they set about to start fundraising. They started a go-fund-me campaign too try and raise $100,000. In the first day they raised over a million dollars. Ultimately 9.5 million dollars was raised. The fundraiser was linked to the email of one of the staff members and she needed to answer all of the questions. The LGBT community was familiar with their work but others were not aware of the organization. There was a lot of scrutiny. The Better Business Borough had to vet them.

They started becoming a clearing house for offerings from people, like someone called and offered bulk burial plots at a Methodist Cemetery. They needed to catalogue all that was being offered and connect with the people that needed it.

They partnered with the National Compassion Fund very early. They helped as the scope grew. The National Compassion Fund responds to the awful tragedies that keep happening in America, they set up fund for each of them. They insure that the victims get all of the money without administrative costs.

He and Ida Eskamani then drove to Jacksonville, because they had a sponsorship event scheduled at 4pm. Despite the chaos they felt a need to stick to the schedule. Once they got there he immediately realized it was a mistake. It was just a two hour event. But it turned into an incredibly emotional event.

There clearly was going to be a large vigil, and there were concerns about safety. The original plan was to hold the vigil at Lake Eola. The Mayor and Police Department didn’t feel that was a safe option. It was becoming a run away train. Equality Florida called the Mayor and tried to get in front of it. That is how the Dr. Phillips Center Vigil came into being. No one could have imagined to many people would show up to that vigil. All this happened in the first 48 hours.

After Pulse: Carlos Guillermo-Smith

Posted on by Thor

Carlos Guillermo-Smith represents East Orlando House District 49 in the Florida House of Representatives. He was elected in November of 2016. He is Florida’s first openly gay Latin X lawmaker.

When Pulse happened he was a declared candidate for the Florida House. On the evening of June 11, 2016 he was at a Union Conference at the Double tree Hotel near Universal Studios. After the conference he went home.

Carlos found out about the shooting on his phone. He got a series of push notifications. He woke up a 5:30Am and those messages were the first thing he saw. Two messages stood out in particular. One was a CNN push alert, and another was from WFTV Channel 9. The CNN notification announced reports of a mass shooting in an Orlando night Club. He sat bold upright in bed and tried to process.

He then went on Facebook, and he turned on the TV to see CNN which had limited reports. Helicopters hovered over the club. Other than what he saw, he didn’t have any facts. People began to mark themselves safe on Facebook. He got text messages asking if he was OK. He got a blanket e-mail from the CEO of Equality Florida making sure everyone was alive. Everyone needed to confirm. He decided the easiest way to check to see if his friends were OK, was to look at each Facebook profile at a time to see if they had marked themselves as safe. For others he fired off texts. Anyone could have been there that he knew. That morning, Terry DeCarlo was the first person he recognized on TV.

When they announced that 20 people were deceased, panic started to set in. When Mayor Buddy Dyer went on TV and announced that actually 50 people were deceased, Carlos sat speechless. He didn’t know what to feel. He bean to think, “What next?” This was his community, he needed to get in gear. The need to emotionally process was overwhelmed by the need to act. Next pp was an 8Am conference call with Equality Florida. They agreed  to deploy and find out what the needs were. There were 5 Orlando staff. One of things they agreed needed to be done right away was to create a Go Fund Me page to raise money for people impacted. Ida Eskamani figured out how to launch the Go Fund Me. That Go Fund Me page raised 9.5 million dollars.

What do people know about Orlando other than the theme parks? We needed to show that Orlando was not a broken community or a hateful community, we are an inclusive and caring community. He made his way to the Center. It was packed. There were too many cooks inn the kitchen. He felt he wasn’t needed there so he made his way to a press conference of Muslim and LGBTQ leaders. At this press conference he spoke with Pastor Joel Hunter who leads the largest evangelical church in Central Florida. They shook hands and an APP photographer snapped a photo. In “Christian America” a large publication the pastor said he was embarrassed that this hand shake as the first time he had met Carlos. He felt he wasn’t doing any outreach to the LGBTQ community. He said, “Evangelicals must repent on LGBTQ oppression.

Next was a 5PM press conference at the Center.  This was to be the LGBTQ communities press conference. Every LGBTQ leader as there. This was their official response to the tragedy. It was so hot in the Center. There were so many bodies. The press were not local. It was international media. This was also when he first saw some of his closest friends. When you see familiar faces after such horror, that is when you start to process what is happening. Christopher Hanson, a survivor of the shooting walked up to Carlos and hugged him. They are now friends.

That night there was a faith service and Carlos offered a few words. By this time things were n overdrive with phone calls and text messages. His campaign staff helped manage it. The rest of the day was a blur. Weeks and even months later he began processing the news coverage. The next day was the first vigil for the 49. The day was a bur of media phone calls up until the vigil  at Dr. Phillips. Carlos was on the program. He went feeling unprepared. He peered around the stage, he saw the crowd and was stunned. He had prepared his remarks to be bi-lingual. He was nervous about what he needed to say in Spanish. He wanted to get it right. It turned out he was one of the few who spoke Spanish in the program.

Last minute changes happened. He realized there wasn’t much Muslim representation among the speakers. A friend of his, Rasha Mubarak, was Muslim and had a long history of involvement with the LGBTQ community. He found her nearby, and asked her if she could speak at a moments notice. She thought and said, “OK.” No pressure. He decided it was better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. After his remarks he would be with Nancy Rosado reading the names of the 49 victims. It was the first time the 49 names were read in a public space.  The Segway between his remarks and the reading of the names, he squeezed Rasha in. Her shared remarks form the Muslim and Islamic community and shared in the responsibility of reading the 49 names.

Trump Counter Protest

Posted on by Thor

With president Donald Trump invading Orlando to announce his run as the incumbent for President in 2020 locals decided to set up a counter protest for the rally set to happen at the Amway Center. The counter protest happened at Stonewall Bar several blocks West of the Amway Center.

The Baby Trump Balloon was brought to Orlando for the “Win with Love Rally.” The balloon first appeared in London during Trump’s visit there last month. It gained so much notice that money was raised to create six
clones in the U.S. A GoFundMe campaign was started last week to raise funds for the helium
needed to inflate the balloon in Orlando. The campaign was successful, going over its
$3,500 goal. In addition to the helium canisters needed to inflate it, the balloon also
came with more than a ton of gear and 12 volunteers, said activist Mark
Offerman. Protest organizer Ida Eskamani said that, because the event is within a
specific perimeter of the Trump event, the balloon would not be able to float but would have to stay on the ground. I don’t get why a helium balloon was needed if it wouldn’t be allowed to fly. Much smaller trump helium balloons were on sale for $10 each and these did often take flight.

When Pam and I arrived at the counter protest we noticed police moving towards the north. She suggested they must be going to some disturbance so we followed. About a dozen “Proud Boy” Trump supporters in red MAGA hats and bulletproof vests were standing off with police. The police presence was impressive with officers in full gear from multiple counties. When the Trump supporters turned away, I made my way over to sketch the baby Trump Balloon. The counter protest was crowded. I had to remove people from my sketch so I could see baby Trumps diaper and cell phone.

I could see the red hats making their way around the lake towards the southern roadblocked barricade to the counter protest. When they faced off a second time people in the protest faced them and raised their anti Trump signs. It gave the protestors a symbol of hate to confront. They shouted “Hey, hey, ho, ho. Donald Trump has got to go.”

After my sketch was done, Pam and I decided to make our way through the police lines to walk down to the Amway. At the same time  the “Proud Boy” thugs decided to follow us down. They were a bunch of bros bragging about their bravado and looking for a chance to get in front of cameras. Anyone wearing a bulletproof vest to a rally is looking for trouble. They paused at a club on Church street and I lost sight of them. Two men were arrested outside the Trump Rally for disorderly conduct. They have since been released on bond. At least at the counter protest, Hate was faced with peaceful protest and a message of love.

The grassy field outside the Arena was littered with garbage and lawn chairs. Some folks just left their tents crushed up on the sidewalks. There was no overflow crowd. Trumps claim that hundreds of thousands of people would be showing up to witness his bid for the candidacy proved false. He didn’t even fill the arena. All  that remained outside were vendors trying to sell $5 Red MAGA Caps.

Nerd Nite is expanding in 2018.

Posted on by Thor

 Nerd Nite Orlando is an evening of entertaining yet thought-provoking
presentations, all while the audience drinks along in a casual
atmosphere. Speakers present for 15-20 minutes each on a fascinating
subject, often in an uncanny and unconventional way. Following each
presentation is a brief Q&A with the audience. The premise is simple, drink and think. 

Nerd Nite operates in over a hundred cities around the world,
including Tokyo, Seattle, London, Los Angeles, Des Moines, Austin, and
many more. Nerd Nite launched in Orlando on Thursday, March 14, 2013
with founding organizers Valerie Cepero, Josh Manning, and Ricardo
Williams.

Since its inception, Nerd Nite Orlando has taken place on every
second Thursday of the month and is now organized and hosted by Ida
Eskamani and Ricardo Williams.

The announcement of Ida’s addition to the Nerd team was made on Thursday, September 14th at “Nerd Nite
Orlando LV: Neural Networks, Autonomous Vehicles, and The
Procrastination Paradox” where Eskamani took the stage at the end of the
evening to emphasize big plans for 2018 including a Nerd Nite Prom and
how they’re going to “triple everything in size and Nerd Nite this whole
damn town!”

Ricardo Williams said, “I am incredibly excited for our plans for 2018, including the continuation of our monthly events, the second season of our show, our new documentary film, the 5-year anniversary, the cosplay prom, and so much more!”

Presentations at Nerd Nite XXXI included, “The Amazing Fabric of Gordon Space Time” by Scott Gordon, “Vulnerability: You ARE crazy and its GREAT” by Rodrigo Groppa, and “The Science of Jurassic World” by Trevor Valle. 

On January 11th from 7 PM – 9:30 PM, Nerd Nite will be held at The Geek Easy (114 S Semoran Blvd, Ste 6, Winter Park, Florida 32792.) The evenings them will be “Space.” The suggested Donation is $5.00.  Doors open at 6pm. Program starts at 7pm.  Like the universe after the big bang, Nerd Nite is expanding in 2018. 


Dates for Nerd Nite in 2018:

January 11, 2018

February 8, 2018

March 8, 2018

April 12, 2018

May 10, 2018

June 14, 2018

July 12, 2018

August 9, 2018

September 13, 2018

October 11, 2018

November 8, 2018

December 13, 2018

One Orlando Alliance organized an Orlando Vigil for Las Vegas

Posted on by Thor

The lawn in front of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts was packed with thousands of people 16 months ago after the Pulse Nightclub shooting. Tears were shed and strangers hugged one another in a truly moving vigil to honor the victims of the nightclub shooting. Days after the mass shooting in Las Vegas, the same stage was erected in the Dr. Phillips lawn to show solidarity and support for that city which is now the site of the largest mass shooting in American history with 58 victims to date. 515 others are injured, so that number may well rise as people fight for their lives.

Pam Schwartz and I arrived a bit early expecting to find the lawn crowded with Orlando citizens who who would show their support for such a tragic event. The lawn was strangely empty. One third of the lawn was a construction zone for the new Dr. Phillips theater being built.  The entire area was surrounded by temporary concert barricades. There was no crowd to contain. A single wreath stood on a tripod in front of the stage. The press huddled together on the walkway opposite me. Desperate for some sort of story, a young reporter asked to interview me, but I explained that I had a limited amount of time to finish my sketch so I couldn’t stop to talk.

The green lawn remained empty the entire time I sketched. I had looked at some of the video footage from Las Vegas earlier that day and recall seeing people running for their lives or lying on the grass hoping not to get hit by the bullets raining down from 32 stories above. The Dr. Phillips lawn, surrounded by humble Orlando high rises, wasn’t much different than the Las Vegas field where concert goers were massacred. One Orlando high rise had several windows blown out from hurricane Irma, just as the Las Vegas gunman had blown out his hotel room window to massacre the crowd below.

Dozens of people showed up to the vigil held in Orlando. Any photos of the vigil show a few people together in closely cropped shots.  Perhaps it was just to soon. The staff at the History Center said that they just weren’t ready to accept or digest that such a horrific incident had happened so soon after the incident at Pulse. Days after the Las Vegas shooting, rainbow flags appeared on all the Orlando downtown street lights. I thought this was in solidarity for the Las Vegas shooting but it might just have been in preparation for the Gay Pride Parade coming up next week.

Someone removed the metal steps that lead up to the stage. A source at The Center said that a permit had not been applied for and thus
no one was allowed to go up on the stage. How amazing that such red tape should
come from a city who had just experienced mass murder 16 months earlier. One Orlando Alliance organizers stated that a radio station set up the stage just for the amplification and they didn’t want any speakers.

Five or six of the 49 angels in action arrived and stood silent in
front of the stage, their fabric wings flapping in the breeze.

 one PULSE Foundation president, Barbara Poma, spoke to the small group gathered from behind the stage. Her online statement read, “Finding words to convey the depth of horror we are all witnessing in
Las Vegas is just impossible. It is unimaginable that another mass
shooting of even greater scope than that of Pulse Nightclub could occur
again in this country, but indeed, it has. We must work harder to stop
these crimes that destroy human life. We pray for those whose lives were
taken, as well as for the wounded and the hundreds who will forever be affected by this monumental tragedy.”

The Orange County Property Appraiser arrived to get his picture taken in a tuxedo in front of a banner which people signed in support of Las Vegas. Mayor Buddy Dyer made a cameo and disappeared quickly. I recognized some of the Pulse family and activists like the Eskamani sisters who truly made a difference in our city following the Pulse shooting. A GoFundMe set up by Ida Eskamani for Equality Florida raised more that 2.4 million dollars for Pulse victims families. With Hurricane Maria causing so much damage in Puerto Rico, many Hispanic activists are perhaps occupied with that cause.

The Vigil held at the Dr. Phillips for Las Vegas was a small gathering by a few of Orlando’s core activists but the impression it left with me was apparent indifference by the community as a whole. The Methodist Church bells rang for each victim of the
Las Vegas shooting. I left disheartened.  The faces of the beautiful people lost in Las Vegas are just now
appearing online. All of those lost have not yet been identified. Perhaps people stayed home because mass murder is now the norm. A mass murder is defined as 4 people dying in a single gun related incident. Close to one mass shooting happens every day in America.

Pam was going to the Savoy to be a Celebrity Bartender. That event would raise funds to help The Center which is a refuge and family for the LGBT community as well as playing an important role in testing and treating sexually transmitted diseases. Sketching that event felt more supportive to an organization that makes a positive change in the Orlando community. Life goes on as social services struggle to stay afloat. I needed a stiff drink. How we memorialize is becoming increasingly important as these shootings are becoming more common.

P.S. Justine Thompson Cowan, one of the events organizers reported that
City representatives were willing to do whatever it took, helped with
permitting, and opened up garages for free parking, spending staff
resources to pull it together. He stayed
until the end and joined with what he estimated to be about 250 people as
they heard the bells toll, the Orlando Gay Chorus sing and spread out
into the audience with their voices that touched their hearts. She felt
solace. She felt companionship. And maybe even a bit of hope.