INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Orlando To Purchase Pulse Nightclub As Permanent Memorial To Victims Of Mass Shooting

By Anne Sewell
Published on: 02:29 PST, Aug 4, 2016

Mayor Buddy Dyer has said the city should purchase the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando in order to create a memorial to honor the lives of the 49 people killed in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

The fate of the Pulse Nightclub, which catered to the LGBT community, has been up in the air since the deadly shooting on June 12, which saw 49 dead and a further 53 people injured. The motive for Omar Mateen opening fire at the LGBT nightclub remains unknown, and the shooter was killed during a standoff with police.

In a report by the Inquisitr in late June, Dyer had expressed interest in creating a permanent memorial for the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting, saying it would help the city heal and also keep the memory of the victims in people’s minds. At that stage, a location for the memorial was not yet set.

He did say at the time, “We’re going to do something world-class to memorialize the victims here.”

According to a report by WJBD, a statement released by the city of Orlando had expressed “interest in acquiring the property, if the city determines it is in the best interest of the community to acquire the property, we will go through that public process to do so.”

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Speaking in a radio interview on WMFE, Dyer said he wants the Pulse nightclub to stand untouched as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the shooting massacre. The full interview can be heard on that website.

Saying there is a certain amount of money available, Dyer said the city of Orlando should purchase the site and “make some determination, with a lot of input, on what a permanent memorial might look like.”

Dyer added that he thinks a period of time should be determined in which the Orlando nightclub is left exactly as it is right now, as there will be people who want to travel there to see it as it stands after the brutal shooting massacre. According to Dyer, the nightclub should remain intact for as long as there is interest.

Reportedly, the OnePulse Foundation, a non-profit organization set up by the nightclub’s owners to assist victims financially, said on Sunday that the venue would be reopening as a memorial.

The foundation also said that while the nightclub is closed for business, the owners are keen to set up a memorial on the site. However, the non-profit’s spokeswoman did not specify whether this would involve the entire property.

Meanwhile, the OneOrlando Fund has so far collected a $1 million contribution from the Walt Disney Company, along with $100,000 in donations from JetBlue, the Orlando Magic, and others for the victims. Reportedly, town hall meetings are to be held between the fund administrators and the general public to help the families of the victims, as well as the survivors of the shooting massacre.

According to a report by NBC News, Orlando police has said the nightclub was released back to the owners by investigators last month, and soon afterward, someone broke in and caused some property damage.

There is still a temporary memorial for the victims at the site, with flowers, crosses, and posters remaining as a tribute. Reportedly, these items will be retained in the permanent memorial for the victims.

[Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images]

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