Ten years ago we woke up to the horrific news about the Pulse Massacre in Orlando where 49 people were killed by a deranged person with an assault rifle & yet 10 years later Congress still can’t seem to pass obvious sensible gun legislation that would prevent future brutal, hate-fueled violence attacks. Brandon J Wolf, Pulse Nightclub survivor stated, “To every politician who scapegoats mental illness, saying that simply addressing our poor mental health infrastructure will end gun violence: show me the bill. Show me the bill to make physical & mental health care free at the point of care for people in this country. Show me the bill to end the for-profit scam that is our healthcare system & put in place a system that does what you say we need.” After the demise of the onePULSE Foundation Orlando City Hall is presenting a free event called “Created in Community: Portraits of Pulse” a powerful exhibition features 49 portraits honoring the lives lost created through a deeply collaborative community effort. Designed by local artist Jeff Sonksen in a paint-by-number format the works were completed in 2017 by victims’ families, friends & members of the Orlando community. Each portrait emerged through a shared process of painting, transforming grief into collective remembrance & healing. In 2018 I talked to Brandon about his experience on that horrendous night that claimed the lives of 49 people & left 53 injured most of who were LGBTQ Latinx people & people of color in this exclusive podcast. LISTEN
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