Families and survivors oppose private museum to honor Pulse shooting victims
The owner of the Florida gay nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 mass shooting is moving forward with plans to honor the victims by constructing a private museum, but survivors and families of those slain have formed an organization in opposition.
They have banded together in an effort they call the Community Coalition Against a Pulse Museum, which aims to prevent the further monetization of the tragedy, according to their website.
The group argues that the nightclub should be torn down and any memorial should be built on public land, and any fundraising efforts should directly support the survivors.
Forty-nine people were killed and dozens others were injured in the mass shooting three years ago at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. The gunman died in a shootout with police.
On their website, survivors and families of the victims say: "Put people first. We care more about our survivors than educating tourists."
Barbara Poma, the owner of Pulse who founded nonprofit onePulse less than a month after the shooting, is leading the museum effort. The foundation seeks to raise more than $40 million to build the memorial and museum.
The memorial would be at the nightclub's location and the museum will be several blocks away. The memorial will be free and the museum will charge a small admission fee, according to the foundation.
The museum would be modeled after those built to commemorate the Oklahoma City bombing and the Sept. 11 attacks, according to onePulse.
"The museum will tell the story of the victims, the tragedy, the community’s response, and provide a world-class education center to learn from the lessons of hate so they aren’t repeated," according to the foundation. "Without a museum, there is no place to tell the story for future generations and we risk the tragedy being erased entirely over time.”
Scores of people visit the closed nightclub each day to lay flowers or write messages on a fence.
Poma still owns the nightclub after declining to sell it to the city of Orlando in 2016, citing personal attachment, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The newspaper reported Poma and her husband opened Pulse in 2004 as a tribute to her brother who died from AIDS.
"We respect the thoughts and opinions of everyone in the community who was affected by this tragic event and are taking them all into consideration on how we move forward," the onePulse Foundation said in a statement on Wednesday.
Among those opposing the museum is Christine Leinonen, whose 32-year-old son Drew died in the shooting. Leinonen started an online petition asking the Orlando City Council to stop onePulse Foundation’s efforts to build the museum and memorial, saying it's "not a mockery, a place to gawk and line pockets. Not an Amusement Attraction."
Leinonen previously blamed Poma for inadequate security at the nightclub, and along with family members of other victims, sued Poma and her husband for negligence.
Not all families of the victims are in opposition of the museum. Some survivors and family members are backing the proposed memorial and museum and have attended onePulse Foundation events.
"I think it's a great idea," said Daphne Josaphat, whose nephew, Jason Josaphat, died in the Pulse shooting. "It has given us a place to go to continue grieving. It's something that's going to be there even after I'm gone. My kids will be able to see it and their kids will be able to see it."
OnePulse Foundation has also attracted some powerful supporters. Its board includes pop singer Lance Bass and former NBA player Jason Collins, as well as the president of Walt Disney World. An advisory board is made up of leaders of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum and the Oklahoma City Memorial and Museum.
Contributing: Associated Press