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?

Tiffany Johnson Bartending at Pulse on June 12, 2016

Posted on by Thor

There is sensitive content and disturbing details included
within. If you feel you may be affected, please do not read this post.

Tiffany Johnson was bar tending the Pulse Nightclub patio bar on the night of the attack on June 12, 2016. Pulse was a second job, her fun job. She also worked at the Dr Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. She would go straight from Dr. Phillips to her evening shift at Pulse.  She  was introduced to the club by a friend named Ryan who asked her to come see him dance. Ryan also let her know that they were hiring bartenders and she applied for the job. Neema Bahrami interviewed her and she started in 2015 as a bartender on call. Pulse felt comfortable, and she knew Ryan, so it was like family. By June, she was starting to work Saturdays with another bartender on the Pulse patio.

On the evening of June 11, 2016 Tiffany was working at Dr. Phillips as usual. The show that night let out late though she couldn’t remember what it was.  When she got to Pulse, the other bartender was already doing her thing. It was a busy night but not super busy. Fringe had just ended so the night was slow in comparison. She took a cellphone photo of the crowd dancing.

A little after 2 a.m. the bartenders stopped after last call. Tiffany’s computer had broken, so she was sharing a computer with the other bartender. Tiffany texted her boyfriend “Lets go eat.” She went to the bathroom and cut through the VIP area to get back up front. Brian was talking to her as she gathered her sales slips. In mid sentence, as he spoke to her, two shots went off. Then the shots just started. She saw out of her periphery and then ran to the outside corner of the bar. She was frozen. The music was still going. She could hear people running and screaming. Then Ryan shouted, “Everybody out!” She snapped back into reality and ran out, thinking, ‘please don’t shoot me in the back.’ Somebody was running with her. “What the hell is going on?” she asked. “I don’t know, someone is shooting.” he countered. His car was in the parking lot. She shouted at him, “Is this your car?” “Get in the car lets go!” They drove around the neighborhood. She doesn’t smoke, but she started chain smoking his Newport’s. She tried to get him to take her to her friend’s house, but she was too distraught to give directions. She called her boyfriend who was working in a downtown club.

By this time sirens could be heard approaching. They parked at McDonald’s, which is just south of Pulse on Orange Avenue. People were coming into McDonald’s covered in blood. There weren’t major injures, but the blood might have been from other people who had been shot. A bum started asking people for money. Couldn’t he see what was going on? She went off on him. The other person she rode with’s friend made it to McDonald’s to meet them. “Can you just drop me off Downtown?” she asked him. Then she looked down at her hands and she realized she was still clutching her credit card slips. She had been holding them all this time. The friend dropped her off on Garland Avenue and she ran to the Beacham Theater where her boyfriend worked. The bouncer didn’t let her in, at first thinking she might just be some distraught drunk girl. When she saw her boyfriend she broke down and cried. They went back to Pulse together but couldn’t get close. She wanted to recover her car and belongings. The police said to, “Take her home.” She couldn’t sleep that night, it was horrible.

She didn’t have her house key, phone, car, or any of her belongings. Her friends got some clothes for her. She basically lived in her Pulse t shirt for a week. She was helpless and didn’t know what to do. The police interview took about half an hour. They could not let her know when she could get her car and it put her in a really weird place. She finally got a call  that she could pick up her car a week and a half later. There was human matter on the hood. A friend of hers details cars, so they traded cars and he got it deep cleaned for her. Inside some Michael Kors merchandise had literally melted.

It took about a month for the full magnitude of what happened to hit her. She couldn’t go to the Dr. Phillips vigil, she wasn’t ready. That Thursday there was a fundraiser at Southern Nights and that was an emotional night. That Friday they all met a Neema’s house. She did get to the Lake Eola Vigil. Over time she learned who had survived and who died that night. Camping World Stadium assistance wasn’t too complicated, it was just weird that she had to do it. Southwest airlines sent her home for two weeks. On the second day at Camping World, she got her purse back. She had to sketch out where she had been that night.

Orlando had showed up in strength that first week and a half. She felt proud to live here. She was invited with some survivors to Boston. That particular group got very close. The parade was amazing. It was good to get away and finally relax. Sometimes when the survivors get together and start talking about that evening, she just has to remove herself from the conversation.

Barbara Poma invited some of the Pulse staff to return to the building and go inside. Tiffany didn’t have a chance to go back to the patio where she worked that night because someone had tried to break into the building and the area was blocked off. To her, it seemed eerie inside. It did nothing for her. She kind of wished that she just remembered the place as it used to be, but now there was this new memory. Tiffany started bartending again when Pulse employees started holding events at The Abbey. It felt OK because she was with everyone. She has a new family since that evening. That is the best part of the whole shitty mess.

This article and sketch have been posted with the express written permission of the interviewee. Analog Artist Digital World takes the privacy and wishes of individuals very seriously.

#Hangaheart Kids Give Back.

Posted on by Thor

Neema Bahrami who was the event organizer at Pulse, survived the horrific night of June 12th. The next day, he found a colorful felt heart taped to his apartment door. It said, “Love is free, hugs are free, we all love you.” The heart was created by there children in his building, Gavin, Victoria, and Jacquelyn. Because of this sign of hope Neema decided to create the Hang a Heart Foundation, which promotes love regardless of religion, race or gender. He feels that, if any good came from that horrible night, it is that people are learning to accept the gay community. It has opened peoples hearts.

Hang-A- Heart, Inc. is in the last stages of becoming a 501c3 charity, and will be working to provide an outlet for children and adults alike to talk about love and acceptance, while creating the same felt hearts that started the movement. The Venue (511 Virginia Dr, Orlando, FL 32803) hosted an evening fundraiser with a night of children sharing their talents on stage. Every seat in the theater had a free felt heart on it. Everyone was asked to hang it where they will be reminded, and others encouraged by hope and kindness when they see it. The tag on mine said, “Be Awesome!”

The evening featured 18 fun and inspired performances. My favorite performance was a lovely duet by Maddie Mayer and Maddy Montz. They sang “For Good” from Wicked. Some people enter your life and inspire you for the better. Yet, people grow apart, and some friendships go unmended. The song hit me hard. The start of a New Year brings regrets. Neema was with a friend at the table next to mine. His friend was in tears and then laughed fanning himself. He was delighted with the emotions that flooded the Venue. I wasn’t alone in shedding a tear.

Another notable performance was “Hard to be a Bard” by Anthony Morehead. There was something so endearing about a young teen concerned about the difficulties of being a creative genius. Anthony’s comic timing was spot on.  On a darker note, Lauren Luteran danced a choreographed piece titled “Void“.  The room turned dark blue and the spotlight illuminated her a flaming orange. Her movements were staccato and hard edged. She exhaled violently striking poses that reached for the unattainable. The striking performance best expressed the incredibly hard and emotional days following the Pulse shooting. Sydney Burtis countered with a rhythmic and fun tap dance routine set to, “Just Forget the World.” Her feet kept the beat and then tapped with counter beats so fast it became a blur of motion. She beamed as she pushed herself to give her best.

Talents varied, but is so refreshing seeing young performers take to the stage and give their all. “Where there’s children there’s light. Where there’s light, there’s hope.” 

Angels in the Abbey

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I went to a red carpet event benefiting the Pulse of Orlando Fund at The Abbey, (100 S Eola Dr #100, Orlando, FL 32801). Outside angels were set to welcome guests, but) a sudden rain Storm sent the angles scrambling for corer.  The evening marks three months since the tragedy and will be focused on the positivity, love, and inspiration we have seen from around the World.

The event included a Silent Auction, sale of Original Art pieces from around the World, performances by the Orlando Gay Chorus, Evin, and featured performer Brandon Parsons – singer of the hit single “Forty-Nine Times.”

Pulse entertainment manager, Neema Bahrami, will MC the evening and Pulse owner Barbara Poma will also be in attendance.

This was a VIP red carpet event with limited tickets sold. 100% of the proceeds go to the Pulse of Orlando Fund, the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit currently distributing funds to victims.

Brandon’s song and the appearance on stage of Pulse employees and survivors had me fighting back tears. Healing is a slow process and my need to understand keeps the nerve endings exposed. 

Angels at the Abbey.

Posted on by Thor

The Abbey, (100 S Eola Dr #100, Orlando, FL) hosted a red carpet event benefiting the Pulse of Orlando Fund. The evening marked three months since the tragedy and focused on the positivity, love, and inspiration we have seen from around the World. The evening included a Silent Auction, sale of Original Art pieces from around the World, performances by the Orlando Gay Chorus, Evin, and featured performer Brandon Parsons, singer of the hit single “Forty-Nine Times.”

Pulse entertainment manager, Neema Bahrami, was the MC for the evening and Pulse owner Barbara Poma was also in attendance.

This was a VIP red carpet event with limited tickets sold. 
100% of the proceeds for the evening went to the Pulse of Orlando Fund, the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit currently distributing funds to victims.

When I arrived at the Abbey, the Angels were lining up outside to greet guests as they arrived. It was a grey dusk and as I started to sketch it started to drizzle. I ran for cover on the patio. Winds picked up and angel wings snapped briskly, sometimes in other angel’s faces. Finally the light rain became a downpour and all the angels had to take cover. Some angels held their wings in place, while others let their wings flap. Duane Garrett in the bandanna and hat looked like a serious biker. That makes sense since Harley drivers are often some of the most charitable people you will meet. Duane introduced me to his wife Sunshine Garrett and she told me about how they have been wearing the wings to as many events as possible since day 1.  The wings were finally abandoned to the costume racks. The elements had won, but only after a valiant effort. In tight quarters, the wings PVC supports would often get tangled. The best way to maneuver was stepping sideways. One woman stood in the rain alone despite being drenched. The wings must get heavy when wet.

Toward the end of the evening, Barbara Poma, Pulse employees and several survivors lined up on the stage. A woman at the end of the line began to cry and the person next to her put her arms around her. Who had she lost? I felt an incredible love and loss as the room filled with applause. Approximately $4000 was raised for the Pulse of Orlando Fund.