That scares me to death," says Stacy Louis, owner of Stacy's on Melrose, located at Seventh and Turney avenues. "What I worry is that someone will get hurt in my bar. Still, it's hard not to worry in the wake of a mass shooting targeting a sexual minority group. "Our officers have met with several of our established community groups to ensure we have shared any information available that would help them protect themselves and responded to their questions and concerns." "Private venue security remains the responsibility of the venue itself," Howard says. He says police have offered assistance to those who sought it out. Jonathan Howard told New Times, clubs must ensure their own security. Some gay-bar owners will increase security in the wake of the attacks, though, as Sgt.
On Tuesday, BS West in Scottsdale hosted a drag-show fundraiser and raised more than $10,000 for victims, and on Wednesday, Charlie's, the oldest gay bar in Phoenix, had a fundraiser as well.
There were vigils on Sunday, less than a day after the attack. "What happened there is something that could happen anywhere."īut in between the mourning and the processing that must follow such an attack, the community has not stood still. "I'm shocked and concerned," says John Martinez, who owns the gay bar Karamba's, located on East McDowell Road and 17th Street. There is a brutal randomness to the attack that almost says, "there but for the grace of God go I." The shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, has sent shockwaves throughout the world, and the Phoenix gay community is no exception.