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A Resolution recognizing the LGBTQ community and remembering the victims of the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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WHEREAS, on Saturday, November 19, 2022, there was a mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, a dance club supportive of the LGBTQ community; and
WHEREAS, five people were killed: Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump, and Ashley Paugh; and
WHEREAS, 18 people were injured, 17 of whom suffered gunshot wounds, including one of the heroes who helped apprehend the shooter, and many people who were present and traumatized by the attack; and
WHEREAS, Club Q has been described as the heart of the LGBTQ community in Colorado Springs, a city 70 miles south of Denver, attracting a mix of queer people and straight allies; and
WHEREAS, the shooting happened on Transgender Day of Remembrance; and
WHEREAS, both heroes who apprehended the shooter are members of the U.S. Military; and
WHEREAS, this was the 601st mass shooting in the United States in 2022; and
WHEREAS, this year, threats and violence against the LGBTQ community, including drag and transgender events have surged nationwide according to GLAAD; and
WHEREAS, in 2016, 49 people were killed in a mass shooting at The Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida; and
WHEREAS, at least 32 transgender people have been killed in hate crimes this year to date; and
WHEREAS, the Black Trans community is specifically targeted and has the highest rate of murder within the LGBTQ community; and
WHEREAS, mass shootings are now a predictable daily part of American life and are preventable if the political will exists to enact more restrictive gun laws and prosecute perpetrators of hate crimes; and
WHEREAS, the top law enforcement agency in the country, the FBI, tracks hate crimes, and the federal Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act allows the federal government to prosecute hate crimes, including those based on sexual orientation and g...
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