The Pulse Shooting Candlelight Vigil.

Posted on by Thor

After finishing my first sketch at the Orlando Pulse Shooting Vigil, I wandered through the crowd. People were crying and hugging for support. I wanted to get a sketch closer to the stage. I made my way to the perimeter to get back stage.  Equality Florida set up a GoFundMe page to help victims of the Pulse shooting and it has reached over $3 million since it was opened on Sunday. There has been an incredible outpouring of support all across the country for families affected by this terrorist attack. This page for the victims of the Pulse shooting
is one of the biggest record breaking pages in the fundraising site’s
history.

I leaned up against a pylon and started sketching the stage. I wanted to catch some of the police presence. All the news trucks were lined up to my right down the street.
Pulse workers took the stage and vowed to come back, bigger than ever. “We will not be defeated! We are here to stay!”
The owners then led the audience in a chant of “Peace Love Pulse!”, “Peace Love Pulse!” We chanted louder until it became a unified shout. There was defiance and love as that chant filling downtown.

Most politicians who spoke seemed to be telling the crowd what they wanted to hear. It all sounded so shallow. The words were meant to instill civic pride and bring cheers. At Pulse two nights before, cell phones buzzed in shooting victim’s pockets from loved ones hoping they had survived. The coroner worked tirelessly to identify bodies. One politician who spoke from the heart was Patty Sheehan. She is the first openly gay woman to be elected as an Orlando City Commissioner. I’ve met her multiple times at various events, and she is always open and gregarious. She is also an artist who paints what she calls equality kittens. Often sales of these paintings go to help the LGBT community. Patty spoke about how she had been at ground zero for the past 48 hours. She had seen blood on the sidewalks and desperate mothers wanting to know if their sons were alive. Her voice broke as she described these scenes. She ran out of words, paused, and then said that she had also seen an incredible amount of love and an outpouring of support. “All of you are a shining example of that love.” Everyone shouted their approval and once again I got choked up and had to stop the sketch. She said, “Murderers will not destroy our spirit. I love you, Orlando.”

Candles were handed out to everyone in the crowd, one small flame became thousands. The Methodist Church across the street, tolled a bell for every life lost. The reverberating sound went on and on.  Every new strike became sadder. It rang 49 times. I cry just thinking about that sound. There was sadness and silence through the whole crowd. Vigils like this are happening all across the country. Orlando is not alone. But everyone has to live with their grief alone. Tears sting but don’t heal. Only time and positive change can do that. When Gov. Rick Scott was asked if gun control or restricting access to the assault rifle
used by shooter Omar Mateen would have helped, the Republican governor said that radical
Islam killed the victims of the nightclub, not guns. That attitude is why the Gunshine State is now internationally known as the world’s most violent tourist destination. As the vigil ended, former State Representative Joe Saunders reminded everyone that there are still people in hospitals and he asked us all to take care of one another. The streets of downtown Orlando were then flooded with mourners, many still carrying their candles as they made their way home to loved ones. I went home to write an article before midnight and then I lay on the floor listened to Tibetan healing bowls. I curled up, drained.

Other vigils in Orlando…

  • Baitul-Aafiyat Mosque: 9501 Satellite Blvd, Suite 103, 32837-8445. Sunday 8 p.m. prayer service.
  • Christ Church of Orlando: 2200 South Orange Ave. Open to first responders and workers for rest and prayer. Sunday, 6 p.m.
  • Ember, Orlando: 42 W. Central Blvd., Orlando, 32801. Restaurant/bar holding plans a candlelight vigil for 7 p.m. Sunday.
  • The Experience Christian Center: Prayer vigil at 6:30 p.m. to be
    held at Jones High School. Gov. Rick Scott and other Central Florida
    officials have been invited.
  • Parliament House, Sunday, 7 p.m.
  • St. Cloud City Hall, Sunday, 7:30 p.m. vigil planned near the
    flagpole. Deputy Mayor Jeff Rinehart will lead in a moment of silence
    and prayers.
  • Candlelight Vigil for Orlando, Lake Eola. Sunday, 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The Pulse Shooting Vigil at The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

Posted on by Thor

You must be aware of the horror by now. On Saturday night around 2am, a gunman shot and killed 49 people and injured 53 more people at Pulse Night club in Orlando. This is the largest single gunman terrorist attack in the history of the United States. This morning, I woke up and the first thing I did was search the Internet for the names of victims. Though none of the names were familiar, I was in tears. Through out the day friends and family from around the country checked in to see if I was alright. I had sketched events at Pulse five times before, so I am familiar with the venue.

At dusk, there was a vigil at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. I wondered how tight security might be. At security check points my art supplies are often suspect. I was pleased that the were no fences or barricades. The crowd was huge and growing. I decided to stop when I saw this large sheet of construction paper for memorial wishes. People knelled down to write and draw messages of hope love and pride. Half way down the scroll, a young girl was writing a message. She was interrupted by a friend who spoke to her. I saw her face contort in pain and sorrow as he spoke. Clearly she had lost a loved one. She hugged her friend for longest time and cried on his shoulder. My heart broke.

On stage, names of the victims were being read out loud. the list went on forever. A woman to my left was sobbing and I had to stop sketching to clear my eyes. I was thankful when another announcer suggested we hug the person beside us. I hugged the man beside me. A quote from Martin Luther King rang true… “Darkness cannot drive out hate; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” I picked up a stray crayon and used it on my sketch. Can creativity really comfort or heal? People wandered the crowd handing out snacks and water. Like a funeral, food is thought to bring comfort.

The little town where tourist dreams come true was center stage for a nightmare. There is no pixie dust that can heal such a tragedy. I don’t understand love in the face of sorrow, hope in the face of pointless violence. Speakers called for strict gun control but legislation is never passed. The ever powerful social media sites don’t have an automatic message to let you know a friend has been shot dead.  We all face our certain demise. Yet that field was full of love and community support. Someone complimented my sketch and I choked up in response. Such kindness despite everything. The gravity and scope of what happened washed over me fully for the first time.

Nothing Beats Bingo at Pulse

Posted on by Thor

Bingo is usually associated with a crowd of retirees at the local Moose Lodge. However when presented by Anna-Rexia and Dysen-Terri, at Pulse, bingo can become a fun romp. I didn’t pick up a bingo card since my hands were busy, but Katie Windish played along.

The cross dressed outfits were a riot of black and white stripes along with plenty of fishnets. After a few Yuengling beers it started to seem like victory was always close at hand.

Pulse (1912 Orange Ave, Orlando, FL) is supposed to be Orlando’s premiere gay bar, it offers a world of fun and fantasy. Inside there are three unique worlds: The Lounge, Ultra Bar and The Adonis Room. Since
2004, Pulse has been serving up unmatched live entertainment and
tantalizing liquid libations, courtesy of the renowned staff and
entertainers.

Bingo was presented rather early in the evening before the place gets packed. I haven’t sketched there yet when the party is in full swing. Anna-Rexia was hilarious, offering plenty of slutty tongue in cheek quips that kept everyone laughing as the lusted for just one win.

Pulse of Orlando

Posted on by Thor

What follows is a fictitious account. Any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental…

It was another rehearsal in the weeks leading up to Fringe. The actors sat around the kitchen table at Mike’s house reading personal stories and poems. They shared several bottles of red wine. Soon the rehearsal was more of an opportunity for members of the cast to share intimate secrets. The notion that this was a reading vanished and the conversations blossomed. Todd then admitted that he had started to dance at a gay club. Having a room full of people admiring his body gave him a visceral thrill. Anna, the director then decided that we all had to see Todd perform. We piled into two cars and headed off to Pulse. I was one of the designated drivers since I had been sketching rather than drinking. Anna sat on a copy of the Alchemist that was on my passenger seat. She and Sandra had just been talking about this book. Excited, she said she had to read it and she shoved it into her large purse.

We all filed into Pulse. My bag was checked since they thought I might have a camera. I explained that I only had a sketchbook. I backed myself into a nook and immediately started to sketch. Men gyrated in the amber light. I was right behind Todd who was dancing on the bar in front of me. About halfway into the sketch Anna pulled me over to join the cast that was assembled in a tight cluster at the end of the bar and dancing. Sandra and John were dancing provocatively close. When they grew self conscious, Anna would shove them together. She was always the director even in matters of the heart. They had all been drinking some exotic shots and combined with the red wine they were feeling no pain. A guy actually groped my balls as if this was his way of saying hello. I shoved his hand aside and decided I needed to walk away and finish the sketch. I wandered back to my spot, where I had to stop sketching every time someone needed to shove into the bathroom. When I returned to the group, my sketch finished, it was obvious that Anna had been drinking too much. Todd, the male dancer was with her trying to get her to sit down. He suggested Betsy and I try and get her home. When I approached Anna she backed away and disappeared into the packed dance floor. I wasn’t about to chase her around the club. Betsy seemed sober so I asked her to talk to Anna and convince her to leave. However Betsy was busy trying to find her cell phone which she had left in the other car on the drive over.

I exited the club and waited outside. I was sure Betsy would be out any minute with Anna and her cell phone but the clock kept ticking. Then suddenly Anna stumbled out and sat on the retaining wall beside me. She didn’t realize I was there. She had been sick and she couldn’t keep her head up. I asked if she was alright and she was surprised to see me. Embarrassed she began running down the street. Betsy exited the club and we both trailed behind her, concerned she might run into traffic. She finally collapsed between two parked cars and slumped over in a seated position. I reassured her until she shouted out, “Leave me alone!” I was making matters worse. I backed off and decided this had to be settled by the cast. Tod managed to help Anna get into his car. It was agreed that we would drive her to Mike’s house where she could sleep it off. I then drove Sandra and Betsy to Mike’s and when Todd and Anna arrived, the girls helped tuck her in for the night. I waited long enough to be sure everyone was fine, then I drove home. I’m convinced the events of this night helped bind the individual actors in the show into a tight knit ensemble. I suppose I could have left at any time, but I was the designated driver, besides I got a decent sketch.