Lex Talamo

alexa.talamo@shreveporttimes.com

UPDATE: 8:15 A.M. June 15:

Shreveport Mayor Ollie Tyler will speak at Wednesday night's vigil honoring the victims of the Orlando nightclub massacre.

Tyler will share opening remarks at 9 p.m., according to a release sent by PACE late Tuesday night.

Other community leaders will also participate in the vigil, including Shreveport City Councilman Jeff Everson, Michael Chisum, Lonnie McCray, Adrienne Critcher, Ed Walsh, the Rev. Juan Huertas of Grace Community United Methodist Church and the Rev. Barbara Jarrell of All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Community members and local business leaders will gather Wednesday night to honor and remember the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting with a candlelight vigil.

The vigil, set for 9-10 p.m. on the steps of the Caddo Parish Courthouse, will include local speakers who will talk about honoring life in general, as well as a reading of the names of the victims.

Celestine Day, a member of the LGBT community who identifies as asexual, plans to drive from Bethany to attend the vigil.

“I always feel sad or angry when something like this happens. I always feel like we should be doing better as humanity,” Day said.

The local gay bars Central Station, Korner Lounge and Mylestone Bar helped plan the vigil with People Acting For Change and Equality, a local advocacy group for the LGBT community.

RELATED: Lafayette man killed in Orlando shooting

Central Station will close at 8:45 p.m. Wednesday and re-open at 10 p.m. so employees can attend the vigil.

Central Station’s Bar Manager Joseph Patterson hopes the vigil will act as a first step in uniting the Shreveport-Bossier community to more acceptance of the gay community.

“It’s always a good way to start. Once everyone opens their hearts and minds, they’ll see we aren’t so different,” Patterson said. “The one thing I would say to the gay community is to stand up together and fight for love, not hatred.”

Patterson said his bar staff is on constant watch to prevent violence and wanted to reassure members of the gay community that the bar has a security team in place.

“Our staff is always mindful of what could happen and we always try to watch out for everyone’s safety,” Patterson said. “I don’t think we’re in threat, especially at this bar.”

MUST-READ: Central Station more than just a gay bar

PACE Political Director Adrienne Critcher said it was fitting that the vigil was planned by local gay bars, which are often a sanctuary for members of the gay community.

PACE President Troy Hylan said the organization has received an increased number of calls from concerned members of the community who want to stand by members of the LGBT community, especially duringSaturday’s Pride in the Park event.

“We’ve noticed more of an outreach, people wanting to get involved,” Hylan said. “A lot of people have fear of the LGBT community. I encourage everyone to come out and talk to them. There’s nothing to fear.”

He added that both the Pride event and the vigil offer an opportunity for members of the LGBT community to meet each other and find strength in each other.

“It’s an opportunity to come together, support each other and realize there is still a fight. There is still hatred, and we are not going to sit idly by while tragedy happens,” Hylan said.

Patterson encouraged all members of the public to attend the vigil and to accept whatever emotions they may feel.

“I don’t think people know how to feel or react. It’s a tragedy on every level,” Patterson said. “Just open your heart.”

RELATED: PACE: Practice love, not hate

Day added that not only the gay community was impacted by the Orlando shootings.

The Latino/Latina community also was impacted, because it was Latino night at the nightclub — and the Islamic community also will be impacted because of the shooter’s ethnicity.

“We have Islamic people in Shreveport-Bossier that want to live like everyone else, and this is going to make it harder for them,” Day said. “We are never going to get anywhere unless we accept that people are complicated, and we can’t judge others based on any one group they belong to.”

RELATED EVENTS:

What: St. Matthew AME Church’s Prayer Vigil for the Orlando Shooting Victims

When: Wednesday, June 15 at 6 pm

Where: 1610 Murphy St, Shreveport, LA 71103

What: One-year remembrance vigil for nine victims of Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina

When: Friday, June 17th at 6 p.m.

Where: 1610 Murphy St, Shreveport LA 71103

Contact: Pastor Pruitt at 318-221-4593 for more information.

What: Pride in the Park

When: Saturday, June 18 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where: Betty Virginia Park, 3901 Fairfield Avenue, Shreveport Louisiana

What: Service of Prayer and Remembrance for the Community of Orlando

When: Sunday, June 19 at 5 pm

Where: Church of the Holy Cross Episcopal, 875 Cotton at Texas Ave