Greenwich Honors Victims of Orlando Massacre

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The town of Greenwich raised a LGBT flag to half-mast after Sunday's tragedy in Orlando, Fla. (John Ferris Robben Photo)
The town of Greenwich raised a LGBT flag to half-mast after Sunday’s tragedy in Orlando, Fla. (John Ferris Robben Photo)

Greenwich residents and elected officials gathered outside of Town Hall yesterday to honor the victims of Sunday’s tragic killing of 49 people and those who were injured inside an Orlando, Fla., nightclub.

An LGBT flag was raised to half-mast following a short ceremony led by Selectman Drew Marzullo. “When I first heard of yesterday’s tragedy that 100 people were gunned down and 49 of them lay dead, I was in disbelief,” Marzullo said. “As a country and as a state, we still grieve for the families of Newtown. I had to ask myself, ‘Was this really happening again?’ I never want to live in a world where mass shootings are the norm in schools, movie theaters and places of worship.”

Marzullo, Greenwich’s first openly gay selectman, invited members of the community and the Greenwich High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance to Monday’s ceremony as dozens of people showed support with orange pins and pride flags.

“Yesterday’s act of hate and act of terror happened at a nightclub,” Marzullo said. “More specifically, this happened at a gay nightclub. These were gay Americans who were killed and targeted. It was an act of evil committed by an ISIS sympathizer that targeted a minority population, one that has been targeted before and one that ISIS calls for the killing and beheading of daily. We are one. Stand up to homophobia, stand up to bigotry, stand up to hate. This is not acceptable. We will survive this.”

Dozens of community members, including Police Chief Jim Heavey, First Selectman Peter Tesei, state Reps. Livvy Floren and Mike Bocchino, and representatives of both parties were in attendance for the flag raising and a prayer service conducted by the Rev. Maxwell Grant of Second Congregational Church of Greenwich.

“This is a place where we are proud of its diversity and proud of the space it seeks to make for all your children,” Grant said. “On this day when our nation grieves and especially your gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans children are grieving and especially vulnerable, we stand with them.” 

The GHS Gay Straight Alliance poses with Selectman Drew Marzullo following a ceremony honoring those affected by the Orlando tragedy (John Ferris Robben Photo)
The GHS Gay Straight Alliance poses with Selectman Drew Marzullo following a ceremony honoring those affected by the Orlando tragedy (John Ferris Robben Photo)

Sarah Walker, of the 30-member GHS Gay Straight Alliance, said that following the news of the tragedy, friends and classmates were gathering ideas of ways to help. 

“It was heartbreaking to hear so many people were killed,” Walker said. “I immediately went to check online, and soon I was getting texts from people asking if we could do anything at school.”

Walker added that efforts were underway to create a signable poster in the high school and to schedule a brief moment of silence for the next day’s morning announcements.

“I felt upset, but proud to know I had this community behind me, trying to make a difference.”

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