After a successful show at Valencia College, John DiDonna and his cast went home. He heard some in his audience headed do Pulse along with many Orlando community members.
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This morning when I awoke, I was in the midst of dealing with personal tragedies when the news hit. By latest accounts there are 50 dead and 53 injured. The largest mass shooting in modern US history.
That is worth repeating.
The largest mass shooting in modern US history.
Here. In Orlando, Florida.
Then—
You realize it is a location that many of your friends go to.
You realize it is a location that audience members when leaving your show last night, were announcing they were going to.
You realize it is a business that was founded by a friend of yours.
Things . . . just get put into perspective.
I, we, our community are mourning and are angry.
Sadly I am already watching the social media arguments begin as always happens. There are fingers pointed at guns or away from guns, at mental health or away from mental health. At religion, or bigotry, or biases. I have read today who needs to be “deported” or “wiped out.”
Stop. Just stop.
Because right now many of us do not want to get into a Facebook argument. We are simply sitting here anxiously waiting to hear who we know is dead or injured.
Who will forever be scarred by their presence in that club last night.
How many families, loved ones, and friends will be notified that someone is lost forever.
That is the reality of today folks.
Today Orlando lost its innocence. The rot of mass shootings has come home and the smell of it will forever live here. This is the day after a lovely young lady was shot dead after a performance at The Plaza, also here in Orlando. Today we stop as individuals, as a community, as a city, a nation and a world, and ask WHY?
So tomorrow, or the next day, when CNN or NBC has moved onto something else, remember what happened here. Look around, it is happening too many places here and abroad. Remember that our neighbors and loved ones died.
When you do start to discuss, do not point fingers in only one direction, but strive for the real answers. Because the answers are a very delicate mix of ALL the above. There is no one—and forgive the unintended and horrible pun—single smoking gun. The solution is on many fronts. We have to examine guns AND mental health AND religion AND bigotry AND biases and many more things, from politics to economics.
It will be exhausting.
But it is the only path to any sort of answer.
I have to go now. I am waiting to see if my friends are among the dead or wounded.
And as I type this, a report comes in that in Los Angeles a man has been stopped with a possible destination of the Pride parade—with a car full of weapons and explosives.
That is how real this is folks. For all of us.
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Photo: Getty Images