Thousands marched in grief and defiance through the streets of Los Angeles for a Gay Pride Parade held hours after a deadly Orlando shooting, as police arrested a man over an unrelated plot to attack the California event.
“We won’t be silenced and we won’t be curtailed no matter what kind of aggression they throw at us,” said Marpa Franzoni, 28, as he marched through the heart of Hollywood. “I’m in shock. It’s more important than ever to show our visibility and support for our community.”
Acting on reports of a prowler, police in nearby Santa Monica arrested a heavily-armed man who said he wanted to “harm” the Los Angeles parade, taking place under tight security after the massacre at the Pulse club in Florida that left 50 people dead and 53 wounded.
James Howell, 20, was detained at dawn with a car full of weapons, ammunition and powder for explosives, police said, adding that he had no apparent connection to the carnage in Orlando.
Authorities said they considered calling off the parade in Los Angeles, but decided to go ahead with the festivities with a beefed up police presence.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who marched waving a rainbow-colored flag and carrying a sign that read: “We love Orlando,” said the violence once again showed the heavy price paid from easily accessible weapons.
“We are here to march, to celebrate and to mourn,” Garcetti told the crowd estimated at 150,000 people.
Authorities identified the gunman behind Sunday’s attack in Orlando as 29-year-old Omar Mateen, a US citizen of Afghan descent, who is believed to have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group before the massacre.
“Today, we are heartbroken that so many of our brothers, sisters and allies were lost in this tragic attack,” organizers of the Los Angeles parade said in a statement. “As we remember them today at our moment of silence, we must continue to show our pride, not just today, but every day.”
Several people said the carnage made them think twice about attending the parade, but decided a heavy turnout was the best answer.
“Today is yet another example in a long line of examples of why we need more rights, more protection for the LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] community and how we need to combat hatred with love,” said Matt Reents, 32, public affairs spokesman for the British consulate in Los Angeles, which took part in the event.
Many of those attending the event were not even aware of the Florida shooting or the number of victims until they arrived.
“We’re all still in shock,” said attorney Perry Handy, 48. “I’ve been coming to the parade for 20 years and last night’s event was clearly a step backward in our culture.”
Kyre Stucklin, 45, lamented that the focus was more on the gunman’s possible links to terror groups than on the fact he targeted the LGBT community.
“It’s terrible that all they are talking about is international terrorism before they realize it’s a hate crime,” she said, breaking down in tears. “All they want to talk about is the name of the person who did it. Fifty gay and gay-friendly people were killed. The greatest, worst mass shooting in US history is a hate crime, no matter what else it was, even if it was terrorism.”
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