2. The suspect was apprehended by club patrons Richard Fierro and Thomas James as well as an unnamed trans woman, and later arrested by police. The Daily Signal depends on the support of readers like you. The organization states on its website that it believes marriage is between a man and a woman, and in 2014 spoke out against adding sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression to non-discrimination laws, citing concerns about conflicts with religious liberties. Advocates say that when law enforcement or the media misgender a crime victim, it can add trauma and pain to a community that is already grieving. "Not bad enough," another tweeted about the vandalism. A police officer lifts barricade tape as authorities respond to the scene of the mass shooting. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? An estimated 5 million Americans tune into its weekly radio program, which is broadcast by more than 2,500 stations around the world. It's an apparent reference to the mass shooting at the gay nightclub, Club Q, where five people died Saturday night. At a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, Learn more about Willis here. The sign of the Colorado Springs headquarters of the evangelical Christian ministry Focus on the Family was defaced days after a gunman attacked the citys sole LGBTQ+ nightclub. Denver Broncos staff members and fans observe a moment of silence Sunday for the shooting victims. Still, he noted signs that the city was more culturally conservative than others of similar size and much of Colorado: Colorado Springs is kind of an outlier, he said. Leia-jhene Seals hugs R.J. Lewis during the vigil at the All Souls Unitarian Church. Focus on the Family headquarters sign vandalized in wake of Club Q shooting. We will never, ever, ever stop being who we are, Vigil tweeted. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Phylisha Priester-Collins, her daughter and a friend were inside Club Q when gunfire interrupted their lives and / When you pump that demoralizing rhetoric into the atmosphere, when you supercharge the political environment to make it as hostile as possible toward LGBTQ people, someone has to pay the price, he told CNNs Jim Acosta on Sunday. Club Q owner says Colorado apprehended by club patrons Richard Fierro and Thomas James, comes from a conservative Republican family, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. A security guard in the lobby prevented the attack, and although the SPLC condemned the assault, it has kept the Family Research Council on its hate map ever since. It was a safe space for the LGBTQ community of Colorado Springs, Club Q was Colorado Springs only remaining gay bar at the time of Flanerys piece. Update 11/28/2022, 10:23 a.m. However, these laws and policies allow dangerous individuals open admission to public accommodations. 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It is hard. This is a time for prayer, grieving and healing, not vandalism and the spreading of hate," Focus on the Family President Jim Daly told Newsweek in an emailed statement. Focus on the Family's Colorado Springs, Colorado, headquarters was vandalized on Thanksgiving with a message blaming the group for a recent mass shooting that killed five people and injured 18 others. The vandals added, Five lives taken.. Days after the mass shooting, someone left a spray-painted message on a Focus on the Family sign. Yemi Mobolade, an entrepreneur running for mayor as an independent, didnt understand how strong Colorado Springs stigma as a hate city was until he moved here 12 years ago. Focus on the Family is privileged to be one of many organizations in our city positioned to help and support the needs of struggling individuals and families, he continued. Much like in the 1990s, Focus on the Family and New Life Church remain prominent in town. This is a time for prayer, grieving and healing, not vandalism and the spreading of hate, Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, said in a statement shared with The Independent. "The families of the five individuals killed in Saturday night's senseless attack are in our prayers," Daly's statement said. Five people died, and at least 18 others were wounded. A general view of Club Q as police respond to the shooting. Colorado Springs once had a reputation as an unwelcoming place for LGBTQ residents. It was more welcoming than the rural part of Florida where he grew up. 2:27 PM EST, Wed November 23, 2022. WebFocus on the Family - Visit Colorado Springs Home Focus on the Family 8605 Explorer Dr | Colorado Springs, CO | 80920 Main: (719) 531-3400 Map Website Overview Focus on the Family welcomes visitors to the ministry's Welcome Center in Colorado Springs. People attend a vigil at Temple Beit Torah in Colorado Springs on Sunday, November 20. At a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, prosecutors for the first time provided evidence related to why they charged 22-year-old Anderson Aldrich with hate crimes as well as murder in the Nov. 19, 2022, shooting at Club Q. Try the Morning Bell and get the days most important news and commentary from a team committed to the truth in formats that respect your timeand your intelligence. "We recognize the community is hurting in the aftermath of the reckless and violent actions of a very disturbed individual. It goes on to claim, "Transgender-identified and gender dysphoric individuals are not necessarily more dangerous than anyone else. Sam Metz, Associated Press, Stephen Groves, Associated Press November 29, 2022, Vandals targeted Focus on the Family's Colorado Springs headquarters two days after the Southern Poverty Law Center mentioned the Christian organization in an article tying the Club Q shooting to "anti-LGBTQ hate." Regardless of motive, I condemn the demonic violence ruling inside the heart of the shooter in the Colorado Springs nightclub, Klingenschmitt wrote on Facebook on Nov. 20. These [five] individuals gathered at Club Q with friends and loved ones, new and old, to be in community and to grieve all the lives lost to transphobia, the statement adds, calling the mass shooting an act of hate. The SPLC also pointed the finger at conservative hate groupsand then-President Donald Trumpfor the 2016 shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, even though the shooter pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, the terrorist group also known as ISIS. 2023 Cable News Network. The shooting happened just after 7 p.m. at the Alta Convenience Store near the intersection of Palmer Park Boulevard and Potter Drive. Using the right name seems less like a thoughtful gesture than an obvious sign of respect for a victim and their loved ones. Herod and others who have been around long enough are remembering this week how in the 1990s, at the height of the religious rights influence, the Colorado Springs-based group Colorado for Family Values spearheaded a statewide push to pass Amendment 2 and make it illegal for communities to pass ordinances protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination. This community, just like any other community in the country, is complex, she said. In one of the organization's PDF handouts, Focus on the Family writes: "The Bible also teaches that sin has entered the world and affects every area of life. (Icons, a downtown bar with singing staff, opened a year later in 2021.). A bartender who found a place to shine. Focus on the Family is privileged to be one of many organizations in our city positioned to help and support the needs of struggling individuals and families. ", The article is written by Jeff Johnston. The shooting at Club Q occurred at a time when anti-LGBTQ sentiment continues to flare across the US. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Focus on the Family is the target of graffiti referencing the Club Q shooting. We urge everyone to pray for peace and we also pray for the individual or group responsible for this mischievous and unwarranted defacing of our ministrys property.. Focus on the Family, an evangelical organization in Colorado Springs, was recently vandalized in response to the mass shooting at the LGBTQ nightclub. Now five are dead, at least 25 are injured, and an unknown number are traumatized for life by an act of violence primed by conspiracy thinking and hateful propaganda, Wilson concludes. We urge everyone to pray for peace and we also pray for the individual or group responsible for this mischievous and unwarranted defacing of our ministry's property.". To some in the LGBTQ community, the scene was less about solidarity and more a cause for consternation. We must condemn in the strongest terms possible the taking of innocent life., After the vandalism, Daly said the shootings aftermath should be a time of prayer, grieving and healing, not vandalism and the spreading of hate., The families of the five individuals killed in Saturday nights senseless attack are in our prayers, Daly added in a public statement. Read the full story on the Denver Channels website. For some, concealing ones name or gender identity may be a matter of personal safety or job security. Much like in the 1990s, Focus on the Family and New Life Church remain prominent in town. All Rights Reserved. Their blood is on your hands and five lives taken were spray-painted onto the signfollowing Saturday nights mass shooting in Colorado Springs at Club Q. Outside the scene of a shooting at Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs in 2015. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. Incorrectly identifying a victim can slow down an investigation, confusing people who may have known them by the name they used in everyday life, the outlet reported. The people who lost their lives that night include: CLICK HERE to donate to a verified fundraiser page to help all the victims impacted. Much of the legislation aimed to limit trans youths access to gender-affirming health care or banned participation in school sports that aligned with their gender. WebAt about 1:00 p.m. MST (20:00 UTC), more than thirty minutes after the 11:00 a.m. sermon had ended at New Life Church, Murray opened fire in the church parking lot with a The Colorado Springs Police Department identified the five people killed at Club Q as. These are the victims of the Colorado club shooting. In addition to the five people who were killed, at least 18 others were injured. But even departments in cities with sizable LGBTQ populations, such as the Orange County Sheriffs Department in central Florida, can be careless in their interactions with LGBTQ victims and witnesses: In 2018, when investigating the death of Sasha Garden, a Black trans woman, the sheriffs office misgendered her and used descriptions that LGBTQ advocates said were damaging, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Learn more about Friends of the NewsHour. 4 min read. Metz reported from Salt Lake City. Five people were killed, and 25 others were injured, 19 of them by gunfire. Have an opinion about this article? Earlier this month, a gunman opened fire at Club Q, a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, killing five and injuring 25 others. Although it is not clear if the suspect had a connection with the organization, the conservative Christian ministry group is known for its anti-LGBTQ messaging. Five The idea of latching onto a city with a bright future is part of what drew Michael Anderson, a bartender at Club Q who survived last weekends shooting, to move here. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community Guidelines | KRDO Jobs | FCC Applications |, KRDO FCC Public File | KRDO FCC Applications, Breaking News Focus on the Family spokesperson Katie Anderson confirmed the sign was vandalized, but wouldnt comment on when the incident occurred. Police, media and public officials have a responsibility to lead with respect, said Jay Brown, Human Rights Campaign senior vice president for programs, research and training, in a statement to CNN. Copyright 2023 KKTV. Juan Chavez, left, hugs Jennifer Horn as they join other Club Q supporters outside the Colorado Springs City Hall on Wednesday. A person pauses to pay respects at a makeshift memorial in November 2022, near Club Q. The Human Rights Campaign estimates that since 2013, police and media have misgendered 70% of trans people killed in violent attacks. (Photo: Focus on the Family), Tyler O'Neil We urge everyone to pray for peace and we also pray for the individual or group responsible for this mischievous and unwarranted defacing of our ministrys property., A Twitter account called colorado peoples press, which has thousands of followers, on Thanksgiving evening posted photos of the graffiti and a letter signed by members of the Front Range queer community., Focus on the family vandalized in response to the club q murders in Colorado Springs THEIR BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDSFIVE LIVES TAKEN, A press release and report back from those who completed this direct action: pic.twitter.com/LszpJrTmzX, colorado peoples press (@colpeoplespress) November 25, 2022, Before proceeding we feel it is our responsibility to acknowledge that we acted without consent from the families of these people, the anonymous letter stated. She said she found community at Club Q when she would come back from college, but that sense of belonging didnt allow her to forget that people and groups with a history of anti-LGBTQ stances and rhetoric maintained influence in city politics. broadcast ministry People visit a makeshift memorial Monday on a corner near the site of the mass shooting. Thursday evening, the writing was covered with a trash-bag-like material, but it blew off in the wind. CNN has reached out to the sheriffs office for comment.). Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Focus on the Family has nearly 700 employees who workSee this and similar jobs on LinkedIn. But in the face of anti-LGBTQ discrimination and hostility, many Colorado Springs residents established LGBTQ funds and advocacy groups, Colorado Springs Indy columnist Brandon Flanery wrote in 2020. Joshua Thurman, who was in the club at the time of the shooting, reacts on Sunday. The organization's website has numerous "resources" for sexuality. After the shooting, Focus on the Familys president, Jim Daly, said that like the rest of the community he was mourning the tragedy. On the night of the shooting, the suspect arrived at Club Q around 10:14 p.m. and stayed for just a few minutes before leaving and coming back inside with guns, including an assault-style rifle, she said. I think in a pluralistic culture now, the idea is: How do we all live without treading on each other? Daly said. City council debates revolve around issues familiar throughout the Mountain West, such as water, housing and the threat of wildfires. This is a time for prayer, grieving and healing, not vandalism and the spreading of hate. The good news is that God made a way to deliver us from sin, through His Son, Jesus Christ!". People link hands at the memorial near Club Q in Colorado Springs. A Warner Bros. Candidate name: Tom Strand. It feels like the city is kind of at this tipping point, said Candace Woods, a queer minister and chaplain who has called Colorado Springs home for 18 years. Nelly Brusnell signs a cross on the chest of Ivanna Brusnell after placing flowers near Club Q on Sunday. In 2016 she became the first openly LGBTQ and Black person elected to Colorados General Assembly, representing part of Denver. A suspect, who was reportedly tackled by club patrons before police arrived, remains jailed without bond. Some called the city an epicenter of organized homophobia. Among these, the Southern Poverty Law Center, a leftist organization notorious for demonizing conservative Christians who oppose the LGBT agenda, named Focus in an article tying anti-LGBTQ hate to the shooting.