Holding candles and wearing rainbow-colored ribbons, thousands filled the Newark Avenue pedestrian plaza on June 14 in a show of solidarity with the victims of the June 12 shooting in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla.
Some in the crowd chanted anti-gun slogans, although the majority of the crowd cried out words of love and sympathy for the wounded and the 50 people who perished when a lone gunman opened fire in the club, the worst mass shooting in American history.
The rally of more than an estimated 3,000 people included members of the LBGT community from Jersey City and throughout the state, and local political, community, and religious leaders, and filled the plaza from sidewalk to sidewalk with people. Some members of the crowd bore the names of the people killed.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop arrived early, along with members of the City Council, state Sen. Sandra Cunningham, state Assembly members Raj Mukherji and Angela McKnight. But the community spoke first and loudly, proclaiming that they would not become victims of fear.
“We have to be with each other. If one of us falls, then we all fall.” – Jonathan Lucas
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Although community leaders read the names of the victims and bits of their biography, the vigil became a rally against violence and hate.
The Rev. Laurie Wurm, of Grace Church Van Vorst, recalled a similar moment in 1982 when a gay man in Jersey City was beaten badly enough to go to a hospital. Back then, she said, beatings were common and often LBGT people simply got on with their lives. But this one beating had become symbolic of the frustration and led to a march through the city streets.
Until that moment, many gay and transgender people lived their lives alone, in fear of being discovered, but the outrages against one mobilized them and made them realize they were not alone.
“I want you to know that you are not alone,” Wurm said.
No more guns!
“It was really intense,” said Norma Gutler, of Jersey City. “It made me so sad to hear about the people who lost their lives, but it made me angry that the killing machines known as assault rifles are so freely available. There is no reason a civilian should have such a weapon.”
More than once, the crowd chanted over speakers including Mayor Fulop saying, “No more guns!”
This was a protest against the easy access to assault weapons such as the AR-15 rifle, a military-grade weapon used in the Orlando massacre and in a number of mass killings nationwide over the last few years.
Investigators in Florida claim that the killer, Omar Mateen, used the rifle and a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol that he bought legally, even though he had apparent mental health issues and had been investigated by the FBI for alleged ties to terrorism.
Fulop called these killings “a uniquely American phenomenon” and said that common sense should prevail while respecting the Second Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Second Amendment grants Americans a constitutional right to bear arms.
“We have to use common sense,” he said, “while we are respecting the Second Amendment.
Renee Cerreta, of Jersey City, wore a sign bearing the name of Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, one of the victims of the Orlando shooting.
“We need to do something,” Cerreta said. “There are too many guns. I live two blocks from where there was a shooting on Summit Avenue today.”
U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Daniel Fishman stared out at the thousands of people and said, “This is an astonishing view.”
Fishman said these assault weapons are “too powerful and too available.”
The word is love
Jonathan Lucas, chairperson of Hudson Pride Connections Center, said the purpose of the rally was to bring a message of love, noting that many of the people who perished in Orlando may not have had the opportunity to tell their loved one that they loved them before they were gunned down. He encouraged people in the crowd to show their love while they still could.
In many ways, the vigil looked and sounded like a 1960s civil rights rally, as people sang anthems such as “We shall overcome” and “Amazing Grace.”
“This is about love, miles and miles of love,” Lucas said. “We have to be with each other. If one of us falls, then we all fall.”
This was followed by a crowd chanting “Orlando” over and over.
“Love is love is love is love is love is love is love,” chanted Lara Nill. “My heart is heavy, but I am vibrating with the presence of persistent strength. We have to carry on the struggle. These people in Orlando did not die in vain.”
Councilperson Candice Osborne called the vigil “an authentic representation of the diversity and love that exists in Jersey City.”
“Like the rest of the country we are heartbroken over the senseless loss of life that one lunatic can claim in mere moments, but will not stand down to fear in the face of evil and hatred,” Osborne said.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.