Colorado Springs Club Shooting is a Stark Reminder that Bigotry Remains the Top Issue Impacting Communities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 22, 2022
CONTACT:
Jackie Smith | 989-576-1996 jsmith@poderlatinx.org
Colorado Springs Club Shooting is a Stark Reminder that Bigotry Remains the Top Issue Impacting Communities
NATIONWIDE - On Saturday, November 19 Colorado Springs’ gay club, Club Q, was attacked by a mass shooting. At least 23 attendees of Saturday night’s activity were assaulted by the perpetrator. 18 victims are suffering from injuries, and 5 lives were lost - among those: Ashley Paugh, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump, Kelly Loving, and Raymond Green Vance. This tragedy follows a year of similar deadly attacks, anti-trans legislation, and an uptick in threatening extremist ideology.
Poder Latinx has released the following statement on the Club Q shooting:
“This past weekend we witnessed another violent attack on the LGBTQIA+ community in what was supposed to be a safe space. Yet, Club Q became a place filled with violence and terror in the snap of a finger. Without the fearless heroes that were able to immediately jump into action and disarm the terrorist, this tragedy could have resulted in many more deaths due to the nature of the weapon the attacker brought with him. This act of violence should have never happened, but political violence continues to put marginalized communities at risk. Our hearts are with the community of Colorado Springs and the long road to healing. This horrific tragedy happened on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day dedicated to honoring the lives lost to anti-trans violence. This tragedy, much like many others, was preventable but came as a result of systemic white privilege, widespread anti-LGBT+ hate rhetoric, and a lack of common sense gun safety laws. We are in this fight together, and we will urge our elected officials to take action on gun violence so that these lives lost were not in vain,” said Yadira Sanchez, Executive Director of Poder Latinx.
Club Q has requested donations be sent to the Colorado Healing Fund, which will support those directly affected by this tragedy. To support the community during this time, please visit coloradogives.org/donate/COHealingFund.
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Poder Latinx is dedicated to building a sustained progressive voting bloc of Latinx voters in battleground states across the country.