NEWARK -- Early Sunday morning, while a gunman mowed down 50 people, and wounded 53 others with an AR-15 in an Orlando night club, local Mindy Downs was at the XL Nightclub in New York.

"That could've happened where I was," said Downs, a 26-year-old who works as a health educator at North Jersey Community Research Initiative, which provides services to people with HIV/AIDS.

Downs was one of about 70 people who condemned the violent act, which is being called the most deadly mass shooting ever on U.S. soil, during a vigil Monday evening on the steps in front of Newark City Hall. Officials say the shooter, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, pledged allegiance to ISIS in a 911 call.

As some waved rainbow flags in the background, speakers of various constituency groups, including Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, preached to citizens and members of the media about their frustration, love and condolences.

"Here in Newark, our heart goes out to you," Baraka said of the city of Orlando and families and friends who lost loved ones during the killings, carried out by a man who was once married to a former New Jersey woman. "Whatever it is you need, we're here to deliver it for you. Not just our LGBTQ community, but all of us."

This "tragic incident to our gay community," Munirah El-Bomani, a 52-year-old from Newark, said, will not deter her or others. El-Bomani, who says she has been a lesbian since the age of 8 and has been dating her girlfriend for five years, said she hopes this brutal attack will not put fear into the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer community.

"We will not bow down to bigotry," she said. "It's a war against us, but we're going to keep fighting for what we believe in."

For the Rev. Kevin Taylor, 51, of Newark, the problem is larger than this single incident. As a faithful, gay man of color, Taylor said he often feels like he has a target on his back, mentioning the mass killing of nine African-American churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina, last year.

When asked about ways to prevent these kind of crimes, Taylor responded like several at the vigil: gun control.

"What are weapons of war doing in any place that is not a war zone? Why do you need an arsenal?" he asked. "I can be prayerful and pissed off, and I'm definitely both right now."

Luke Nozicka may be reached at lnozicka@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @lukenozicka. Find NJ.com on Facebook and Twitter.