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Youngstown community mourns Orlando shooting victims
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By Sarah Lehr
and Kalea Hall
YOUNGSTOWN
Chris Hetrick, an attendee at a vigil for victims of the Orlando massacre, remembers when the first gay bar opened in Youngstown and its fearful patrons would sneak in via the side entrance.
Decades ago, when he came out as gay, Hetrick never would have predicted that marriage equality would become the law of the land.
The weekend’s events, however, were a sobering reminder that the struggle for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality is far from over, Hetrick said.
The Youngstown resident, who spoke at Monday night’s vigil on the steps of the Mahoning County Courthouse downtown, said he was crushed by the news of a shooter who opened fire in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla.
The Pulse nightclub is now known as the scene of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. But, for Hetrick, it was a place to have fun with friends. Hetrick frequented Pulse when he lived in Orlando.
For Hetrick, attending the vigil was taking a stand against living in fear. Several hundred people joined him. Attendees lit candles, listened to the names of the deceased, said prayers, hugged, held hands and wept.
“Gay, straight, black, white – we all have the right to walk down the street and be who we are,” Hetrick said.
Youngstown resident Devin Hull, who identifies as transgender, added, “We all have hearts. We all have lungs. We all have souls. We all have spirits.”
Among the speakers at the vigil were Youngstown Mayor John A. McNally, state Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan of Youngstown, D-58th, and a representative from the office of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.
All spoke of tolerance and called for gun reform.
“I see an America at war with itself,” McNally said.
Kim Akins, reading a statement on behalf of Pride Youngstown, said, “We mourn the fact that this country still believes the right to own a military-grade assault rifle supersedes our right to life, liberty, peace and tranquility.”
Councilwoman Anita Davis, D-6th, and a Pride Youngstown board member, asked members of the crowd to raise their hands if they know someone who’s been “gunned down.” Davis, a retired YPD sergeant, said she owns a gun, but expressed dismay about the frequency of gun-related homicides and domestic-violence incidents.
She noted there was Youngstown police protection at the vigil, but said she did not expect trouble.
Erica Speer, a lesbian and Youngstown resident, used to live in Florida and said she had been to Pulse many times.
“It really hit close to home,” Speer said of the shooting. “The place that you thought was safe is not safe anymore.”
Charissa Brennan and Chelsea Mishke, an Austintown couple, were attending their first Pride event in Pittsburgh when they awoke to news of the shooting.
Brennan said through tears the Orlando shooting made her fearful to hold her girlfriend’s hand. At Monday’s vigil, however, the pair brought signs and held hands.
“You can’t let them [terrorists] win,” Mishke said.
Meanwhile, The Vindicator reached out to the owner of a local gay bar who also is the organizer of Pride Youngstown about his security measures.
Earl Winner, owner of Utopia Video Night Club, a gay bar located at 876 E. Midlothian Blvd. on the South Side he opened in 2005, said his bar is a safe place for its patrons.
The bar has security personnel, and Winner has more security when there’s a special event.
“It’s secluded, it’s safe and well-lit,” he said of the location.
Carlos Rivera, chairman of Pride Youngstown, is in talks with the city to have more security for the eighth annual Pride Youngstown Festival that will take place from noon to 9 p.m. July 16.
The festival will feature food vendors, nonprofits, live bands, singers, a beer tent and drag shows. The festival typically would have two security officers.
“Our plan is to have more security,” Rivera said. “We do want to keep everyone safe, and you cannot predict crazy.”