After mass shootings, loss felt by marginalized groups already facing … – Colorado Public Radio

December 31, 2022 Kim Martel

Pulse will not reopen. The site where it operated is now a memorial, and supporters plan to convert it into a permanent museum. The club’s closure has deeply scarred the LGBTQ community, which has tried to “re-create the sense of belonging” that Pulse had, Wolf said.

“I live next to a few other LGBTQ establishments and those are really important, but there was something truly special about Pulse and the community that we were able to create here,” he said. “For communities like ours, safe spaces are lifelines. They’re the refuges we carve out in a world that threatens violence against us every time we walk out the door.”

Mass Shootings Marginalized Groups — Brandon Wolf, a survivor of the Pulse nightclub shooting and activist, stands outside of the Pulse memorial in Orlando, Fla., on Sept. 9, 2022. After mass shootings, the loss felt by marginalized groups already facing discrimination is compounded. Some public health experts say the risk for post-traumatic stress disorder is greater for the groups, especially when the shootings take place at schools, churches and other vital hubs. (AP Photo/Cody Jackson)

In some cases, traumatic events threaten basic necessities for marginalized groups, increasing the risk for mental health issues, said Lowe, the clinical psychologist.

Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York, was closed for two months after 10 Black shoppers and workers were fatally shot during a racist rampage. During that time, there was no grocery store on the East Side.

Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, was founded in 1816 and became a pillar of the African American community in the state’s Lowcountry region.

On June 17, 2015, a self-avowed white supremacist who targeted a Bible study at the church killed nine Black congregants. One of the victims was minister Myra Thompson, sister of South Carolina State Rep. JA Moore.

“My sister was a servant to the other parishioners at the church, and she dedicated a lot of her life and her love to serving others through the church,” Moore said.

The church reopened for Sunday services four days after the massacre. It was important to send a message, he said.

“Even seven years later, the church is still resilient and still rebuilding and still serving,” Moore said. “I think the message that reopening up after such a horrific event is the story of African Americans in this country, the history of this country, where no matter our trauma and our pain and the horrors that we have to endure, we recognize that it’s an obligation as Americans to continue to push forward.”

Wolf, now 34, has also pushed forward. Following the shooting at Pulse, he became an advocate and activist for the LGBTQ community and now works as press secretary for Equality Florida.

He said Orlando nonprofit organizations that support the LGBTQ community have expanded their services, and other LGBTQ-owned bars and restaurants have grown their customer base. Wolf believes the city has become more inclusive since the shooting.

“While I think there’s a hole and there will always be something missing where Pulse used to be, I also think it’s beautiful that we’ve chosen to take the important components of what made Pulse, Pulse, and infuse them into every which way we live our lives in this city,” he said.

AP journalists Cody Jackson in Miami and Lekan Oyekanmi in Houston contributed to this report.