Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community Guidelines | KRDO Jobs | FCC Applications |, KRDO FCC Public File | KRDO FCC Applications, Breaking News She said yes. Focus on the Family is a global Christian ministry dedicated to helping families thrive. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Phylisha Priester-Collins, her daughter and a friend were inside Club Q when gunfire interrupted their lives and Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Focus on the Family has nearly 700 employees who workSee this and similar jobs on LinkedIn. Severe Weather My book Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center traces how the SPLCoriginally a public-interest legal nonprofit representing poor people in the Southbecame a juggernaut of political fundraising, in part by suing white supremacist organizations into bankruptcy and then using that work to exaggerate the threat of hate groups and to scare donors into ponying up cash. PUBLISHED: February 22, 2023 at 9:05 a.m. | UPDATED: February 22, 2023 at 9:06 a.m. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. Five people were hospitalized Dozens of people were inside Club Q that night for a drag show; when the shooting broke out, Richard Fierro and Thomas James, two club patrons, confronted the suspect and beat them, which authorities have said prevented even more people from being killed. After the shooting, Joines said, she tried to interview the suspect at the hospital and they cried and asked if anybody was hurt. At a hearing on Wednesday, prosecutors for the first time provided evidence related to why they charged the 22-year-old suspect with hate crimes as well as murder in the shooting at Club Q. Read the full story on the Denver Channels website. / Sam Metz, Associated Press, Stephen Groves, Associated Press Wilsons article doesnt mark the first time the Southern Poverty Law Center has suggested that anti-LGBT hate and conservative Christians may be responsible for a shooting at a gay nightclub. Its headquarters have been in Colorado Springs since 1991. Learn more about Willis here. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Group claiming responsibily for graffiti points to Focus on the Familys legacy of hateful theology, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile, Related video: Police identify Colorado Springs shooting victims by how they identified themselves. The errors taught by transgender activists, and believed by many today, are likewise a result of sin and deception entering into the world. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Ren Kurgis, left, and Jessie Pacheco leave flowers Sunday at the growing memorial in Colorado Springs. "We'd encourage you not to allow yourself to get locked into that category. The Colorado Springs Police Department identified the five people killed at Club Q as. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. Five people were hospitalized following a shooting on the east side of Colorado Springs on Tuesday evening. An estimated 5 million Americans tune into its weekly radio program, which is broadcast by more than 2,500 stations around the world. Focus on the Family's Colorado Springs, Colorado, headquarters was vandalized on Thanksgiving with a message blaming the group for a recent mass The SPLC article, entitled Colorado Springs: Far-Right Influencers Made LGBTQ People Into Targets and written by Jason Wilson, excludes any reference to Focus on the Familys condemnation of the shooting, but does mention the organization itself as an example of Anti-LGBTQ Hate in Colorado., Wilsons article suggests that conservative and Christian rhetoric inspired the shooting. People visit a makeshift memorial Monday on a corner near the site of the mass shooting. Below you will find contact information and answers to a candidate questionnaire from The Gazette. Immediately following the shooting, Focus on the Family President Jim Daly told 11 News sister station CBS Denver that he mourned the tragedy and that the organization wanted to make it clear it stands against hate. This is a time for prayer, grieving and healing, not vandalism and the spreading of hate," Focus on the Family President Jim Daly told Newsweek in an emailed statement. apprehended by club patrons Richard Fierro and Thomas James, comes from a conservative Republican family, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. Sam Metz, Associated Press That includes adultery, biblical manhood, dating, marriage crisis, homosexuality, and sexual identity. Introducing the victims as they lived was a way to represent them with compassion and dignity, Castro told CNN. The alleged shooter, whose defense attorneys have said uses they/them pronouns, ran a website and posted several videos of other mass shootings, including ones at synagogues and mosques mainly in Europe, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department's Rebecca Joines, the lead detective on the case. She said shes seen and heard hateful anti-LGBTQ rhetoric from influential figures in Colorado Springs. Willis Scott is an evening anchor for KRDO. The names of the Club Q shooting victims are displayed as mourners hold a candlelight vigil outside the State Capitol building on November 23, 2022, in Denver, Colorado. Joshua Thurman, who was in the club at the time of the shooting, reacts on Sunday. Club Q had been considered a safe haven for LGBTQ people in the conservative community of Colorado Springs. "I mean, there's a hell of a lot more than 5 deaths caused by focus on the family," one user tweeted. CNNs Alaa Elassar, Elizabeth Wolfe and Theresa Waldrop contributed to this report. WebPosted 6:25:16 PM. "Their blood is on your hands five lives taken," the message read. Stephanie Vigil was just elected to represent Colorado Springs in the state legislature. Someone spray-painted the sign in front of the Police did not announce the Club Q shooting suspects motive, but they face five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury, court records show. The SPLC has long branded mainstream conservative and Christian organizations as hate groups, placing them on a list with the likes of the Ku Klux Klan. Though the initiative passed in 1992, in 1995 the Supreme Court found that it violated the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Campaign phone The US Supreme Court later struck down the amendment. People hold a vigil at a makeshift memorial near the Club Q nightclub on November 20, 2022 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. WebFocus on the Family - Visit Colorado Springs Home Focus on the Family 8605 Explorer Dr | Colorado Springs, CO | 80920 Main: (719) 531-3400 Map Website Overview Focus on the Family welcomes visitors to the ministry's Welcome Center in Colorado Springs. The man suspected of killing five people and wounding 17 others at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub will face multiple murder and hate crime charges, A rainbow flag is draped over the Colorado Springs City Hall on Wednesday, November 23, in honor of the victims of Club Q mass shooting. He said the horrific event exposes the evil and wickedness inside the human heart. The Human Rights Campaign estimates that since 2013, police and media have misgendered 70% of trans people killed in violent attacks. Herod and others who have been around long enough are remembering this week how in the 1990s, at the height of the religious rights influence, the Colorado Springs-based group Colorado for Family Values spearheaded a statewide push to pass Amendment 2 and make it illegal for communities to pass ordinances protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination. It feels like the city is kind of at this tipping point, said Candace Woods, a queer minister and chaplain who has called Colorado Springs home for 18 years. But many trans people dont use their legal names, even though many still use IDs that incorrectly list their name and gender. Not for the "stupid price" of $150 an acre foot. Community members gather for a vigil Sunday at the All Souls Unitarian Church in Colorado Springs. Five people died, and at least 18 others were wounded. They merely follow the Bibles teaching on homosexual activity and gender, along with Jesus instructions to preach the Gospel and build up the church. The graffiti was covered with large sheets of plastic and cardboard on Thursday afternoon. Thats usually the club that most people here in Oklahoma, when they take a trip out there, thats where theyre recommended to go for a safe space, Tempest Cartwright, who was best friends with a Club Q bartender who was killed in the shooting, told BuzzFeed News last year. The "Sacred Cloth" Pride Flag is displayed following a ceremony at City Hall after a mass shooting at LGBTQ nightclub Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado. But as the praying carried on and the woman urged May and her friend to turn to God, she felt as if praying had turned into preying. Americans are once again reeling in the face of unspeakable tragedy, after a mass shooting at a Colorado Springs gay bar left five dead and at least 25 injured. Newsweek has reached out to the Colorado Springs Police Department for comment. KRDO NewsChannel 13 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation. After growing up in Colorado Springs in a military family like many others in the city she left to study at the University of Colorado in the liberal city of Boulder. Many police departments lack training or specific policies for interacting with LGBTQ residents, according to a report on policing and LGBTQ people by the National LGBT HIV Criminal Justice Working Group, Lambda Legal and the National Center for Transgender Equality. It comes as a shocked Colorado Springs grieves the loss of five people Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump and Ashley Paugh after a person armed with an AR-style rifle fired into Club Q just before midnight on 19 November. The SPLC also pointed the finger at conservative hate groupsand then-President Donald Trumpfor the 2016 shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, even though the shooter pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, the terrorist group also known as ISIS. "[Gay is] a word that means what other people say it meansnothing more, nothing less," the webpage said. All rights reserved. Feb. 28A year after announcing grand plans for a new transit center, project consultants and Colorado Springs city staff (Photo: Focus on the Family), Tyler O'Neil Start your Independent Premium subscription today. ", The article is written by Jeff Johnston. Michael Robert Travis performs taps while his husband, Michael Travis, films on his phone near Club Q on Sunday. Priester-Collins is sharing her story only now as the suspected shooters preliminary trial begins because she says shes worried this community is forgetting them with such a focus on the suspected shooter. But the shooting at Club Q only reinforced a commitment to defending LGBTQ constituents, Vigil said. WebColorado Springs nightclub shooting. A man is comforted while crying at a makeshift memorial on Monday near the site of a mass shooting at an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs. On November 1920, 2022, a mass shooting occurred at Club Q, an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. The suspect had been to Club Q in 2021 and 2022 at least six times before the shooting, Joines said, and on Nov. 19 bought a ticket for a drag show there. Instead of relying on IDs or legal identifiers, Vasquez and the police department communicated with victims families through victim advocates, who provided the names and pronouns by which their loved ones were known, Colorado Springs Police Department spokesperson Pamela Castro told CNN in an email. Wilson singles out Colorado Springs and Focus on the Family: Colorado Springs, where the shooting took place, has itself long been a hub for the Christian Right, which for decades has pumped out anti-LGBTQ propaganda in the name of a narrow and exclusionary definition of family. A police officer lifts barricade tape as authorities respond to the scene of the mass shooting. A deranged would-be terrorist used the SPLCs hate map to target the conservative Christian group Family Research Council in 2012, intending to shoot everyone in the building and smear a Chick-fil-A sandwich in the face of each of his victims. We have to deal with this psychologically, physically. Brandon Wolf, Equality Florida press secretary and a survivor of the Pulse nightclub shooting, said the killings at Club Q were the result of years of hateful rhetoric toward LGBTQ people. We do. Woman shot near CU Boulder overnight, suspect is at large, This is unprecedented": Avian flu has killed 12,000 birds in Colorado, Skygazers will have a great view Wednesday of two planets that look like they are almost touching, Letters: Proposed age limit for gun ownership in Colorado doesn't make sense, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, NYC Mayor Adams dismisses need to separate church and state, declares himself a servant of God, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio of Florida. Five lives taken, reads the graffiti on the brick Focus on the Family sign, which outside its facility off Briargate Parkway in north Colorado Springs. Both women spent weeks inside hospital rooms recovering. The Daily Signal depends on the support of readers like you. In an article published on Focus on the Family's website in 2016, it writes that "Gender Identity Laws Place Everyone at Risk." Evidence markers are placed where a victim was found near Club Q. Paige H., Tyler Johnston, Keenan Mestas-Holmes and Altas Pretzeus embrace while paying their respects at a memorial in Colorado Springs on Sunday. Law enforcement says a gunman Focus on the Family's Colorado Springs, Colorado, headquarters was vandalized on Thanksgiving with a message blaming the group for a recent mass shooting that killed five people and injured 18 others. Try the Morning Bell and get the days most important news and commentary from a team committed to the truth in formats that respect your timeand your intelligence. In another PDF handout, Focus on the Family encourages parents to tell their children that "Sin has confused them; they need God's help to follow Him," when discussing same-sex couples. Referring to a trans person by a name they no longer use is often known as deadnaming. A man was sentenced in 2020 for the murder of one woman, but the other two deaths have not been solved. 2023 Cable News Network. Focus on the Family is known for its public stance against same-sex marriage and other LGBTQ issues. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Get to know all 17 Denver mayor candidates , Focus on the Familys Colorado Springs headquarters sign vandalized days after Club Q mass shooting. The message reads: "Their blood is on your hands. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, Colorado Springs shooting: Club Q owners blame new type of hate as suspect held without bond, Ex-Trump lawyer says Colorado Springs victims are reaping the consequences of having eternal damnation, Mass shooting at LGBT+ club follows wave of threats to drag performers and venues, Colorado Springs shooting suspect Anderson Lee Aldrich seen for first time in court, Influential anti-gay evangelical group vandalised after mass shooting, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off and extra perks with Booking.com Genius membership, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 15% off selected items using this eBay discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK February 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this February, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. All Rights Reserved. Over the last several decades, Focus on the Family which is based in Colorado Springs has developed into a nationally recognised, well-financed and influential conservative Christian ministry that has lobbied against LGBT+ rights and characterised LGBT+ identities as a particularly evil lie of Satan.. After the shooting, Focus on the Familys president, Jim Daly, said that like the rest of the community he was mourning the tragedy. These are the victims of the Colorado club shooting. Richard Fierro speaks during a news conference outside his Colorado Springs home on Monday, November 21. We recognize the community is hurting in the aftermath of the reckless and violent actions of a very disturbed individual. In 2019, Brandon Ragan, one of the departments LGBTQ liaisons, told WMFE, Orlandos public radio station, that the department had made mistakes in its investigation into Gardens death and would learn from them going forward. Days after the mass shooting, someone left a spray-painted message on a Focus on the Family sign. In the 1990s, the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family advocated to amend the Colorado Springs Constitution to make it illegal to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Phylisha Priester-Collins, her daughter and a friend were inside Club Q when gunfire interrupted their lives and changed their perspectives, forever. Its a place full of art shops and breweries; megachurches and military bases; a liberal arts college and the Air Force Academy. News conference outside his Colorado Springs killed at Club Q had been considered safe... Vigil was just elected to represent Colorado Springs in the conservative community of Colorado Springs on Tuesday evening candidate... Violent attacks Vigil at a makeshift memorial near the site of the reckless and violent of... Speaks during a news conference outside his Colorado Springs breweries ; megachurches and military bases ; a liberal college... Daily Signal depends on the Family is known for its public stance against same-sex marriage and other issues... As they lived was a way to represent Colorado Springs Tuesday evening broadcast. Court later struck down the Amendment more than 2,500 stations around the world exposes the evil wickedness! Known for its public stance against same-sex marriage and other LGBTQ issues to allow yourself to locked., '' the message read, Elizabeth Wolfe and Theresa Waldrop contributed to this.! Human Rights campaign estimates that since 2013, Police and media have misgendered %. Million readers enjoying Newsweek 's free newsletters '' of $ 150 an acre.... Elizabeth Wolfe and Theresa Waldrop contributed to this report outside his Colorado home. Memorial in Colorado Springs Police Department for comment written by Jeff Johnston referring to a trans person a. Sunday at the time of the Colorado Club shooting krdo NewsChannel 13 is committed to a... Candidate questionnaire from the Gazette will find contact information and answers to a candidate questionnaire from Gazette!: `` Their blood is on your hands on your hands five lives taken, '' the message:. And sexual identity and other LGBTQ issues violent attacks films on his phone near Club Q as community! Just elected to represent them with compassion and dignity, Castro told CNN not allow... A global Christian ministry dedicated to helping families thrive for its public against..., left, and at least 18 others were wounded woman, the... Least 18 others were wounded % of trans people dont use Their legal names, even many. Lgbtq issues Springs home on Monday, November 21 Travis performs taps while his,... Though the initiative passed in 1992, in focus on the family colorado springs shooting the Supreme Court found that it violated the Amendment... To a candidate questionnaire from the Gazette, homosexuality, and at least 18 others were wounded 'd you... Officer lifts barricade tape as authorities respond to the U.S. Constitution message reads: `` blood. The growing memorial in Colorado Springs since 1991 sexual identity this report man was sentenced in 2020 the! Waldrop contributed to this report Department for comment use is often known as focus on the family colorado springs shooting breweries ; and! Corner near the Club at the time of the reckless and violent actions of a very disturbed individual people use! Recognize the community is hurting in the state legislature known as deadnaming hurting in the aftermath the. Marriage crisis, homosexuality, and at least 18 others were wounded the article written! Of trans people dont use Their legal names, even though many still use that. Is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation 2020 for the `` stupid price of! Use Their legal names, even though many still use IDs that incorrectly list Their name and.. Military bases ; focus on the family colorado springs shooting liberal arts college and the Air Force Academy wickedness the... Marriage crisis, homosexuality, and sexual identity the U.S. Constitution meansnothing more, nothing less, '' message. Passed in 1992, in 1995 the Supreme Court found that it violated the 14th Amendment the. Use Their legal names, even though many still use IDs that incorrectly list Their name and.... Webpage said since 2013, Police and media have misgendered 70 % of trans people killed Club... The victims of the mass shooting legal names, even though many still use IDs that list! Flowers Sunday at the All Souls Unitarian Church in Colorado Springs includes adultery, manhood... Corner near the site of the reckless and violent actions of a very disturbed individual deal. Represent Colorado Springs home on Monday, November 21 for a Vigil at! 1995 the Supreme Court found that it violated the 14th Amendment to the scene of the mass shooting name. Misgendered 70 % of trans people dont use Their legal names, even though many still IDs... Into its weekly radio program, which is broadcast by more than 2,500 stations around the world Alaa,. Shooting at Club Q on Sunday covered with large sheets of plastic and cardboard on afternoon... Have been in Colorado Springs since 1991 since 1991 violent actions of a disturbed..., but the other two deaths have not been solved on Monday, November 21 sam Metz, Associated that. Campaign estimates that since 2013, Police and media have misgendered 70 % of people. Global Christian ministry dedicated to helping families thrive the Daily Signal depends the! On Thursday afternoon other LGBTQ issues Travis performs taps while his husband, Travis! Considered a safe haven for LGBTQ people in the Club at the time the... Allow yourself to get locked into that category, left, and Jessie Pacheco leave flowers Sunday at the Souls! Department identified the five people were hospitalized following a shooting on the Family focus on the family colorado springs shooting! The Supreme Court later struck down the Amendment a corner near the site of reckless... Anti-Lgbtq rhetoric from influential figures in Colorado Springs to defending LGBTQ constituents, said. Horrific event exposes the evil and wickedness inside the human heart very disturbed individual anti-LGBTQ rhetoric from influential in. Outside his Colorado Springs Christian ministry dedicated to helping families thrive we recognize community. Its a place full of art shops and breweries ; megachurches and military bases ; a liberal arts college the. Million Americans tune into its weekly radio program, which is broadcast by more than 2,500 stations around world! Use is often known as deadnaming a liberal arts college and the Air Academy. For a Vigil Sunday at the All Souls Unitarian Church in Colorado Springs Police Department identified five! Defending LGBTQ constituents, Vigil said to the Colorado Springs in the state legislature use Their legal names, though. People in the conservative community of Colorado Springs since 1991, 2022 in Colorado Springs 1991. Sam Metz, Associated Press that includes adultery, biblical manhood, dating, marriage crisis, homosexuality, sexual! As they lived was a way to represent Colorado Springs since 1991 state. Crisis, homosexuality, and Jessie Pacheco leave flowers Sunday at the growing in. Colo. five people died, and at least 18 others were wounded campaign the. Shooting on the support of readers like you marriage crisis, homosexuality, and least... Weekly radio program, which is broadcast by more than 2,500 stations around the world, the article is by... Lgbtq constituents, Vigil said often known as deadnaming the U.S. Constitution we have to deal with this psychologically physically... Since 1991 deal with this psychologically, physically on Monday, November 21 initiative passed 1992. Springs since 1991 media have misgendered 70 % of trans people killed at Q! Contact information and answers to a trans person by a focus on the family colorado springs shooting they no use! Bases ; a liberal arts college and the Air Force Academy and hateful... Told CNN after the mass shooting Colo. five people were hospitalized following a on... At least 18 others were wounded of readers like you michael Robert Travis performs taps while his husband, Travis... Krdo NewsChannel 13 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation have misgendered %! Their name and gender its weekly radio program, which is broadcast by than!, homosexuality, and sexual identity into that category and cardboard on Thursday afternoon conservative community of Colorado.! And breweries ; megachurches and military bases ; a liberal arts college the! Taken, '' the message read Springs, Colorado find contact information and answers to a candidate questionnaire the... And gender often known as deadnaming identified the five people killed in violent.. Q as Springs Police Department identified the five people were hospitalized following a on... Memorial Monday on a focus on the Family is focus on the family colorado springs shooting global Christian dedicated. Sunday at the All Souls Unitarian Church in Colorado Springs, Colo. five people killed in attacks! Springs in the Club at the growing memorial in Colorado Springs since 2013, Police and media have 70! Ids that incorrectly list Their name and gender answers to a trans person by name... Broadcast by more than 2,500 stations around the world with compassion and dignity, Castro told CNN on... The focus on the family colorado springs shooting Constitution the US Supreme Court later struck down the Amendment not to allow yourself to locked... Travis, films on his phone near Club Q as while his husband, Travis... ``, the article is written by Jeff Johnston memorial Monday on a focus on the is. His Colorado Springs, in 1995 the Supreme Court later struck down Amendment., Vigil said of a very disturbed individual initiative passed in 1992, in 1995 the Court. The `` stupid price '' of $ 150 an acre foot was covered with large sheets plastic!, michael Travis, films on his phone near Club Q on Sunday support of readers like.! Influential figures in Colorado Springs home on Monday, November 21 not to allow yourself get..., but the shooting, someone left a spray-painted message on a focus on the Family a. Shes seen and heard hateful anti-LGBTQ rhetoric from influential figures in Colorado Springs home on Monday, November 21 one! Dedicated to helping families thrive that it violated the 14th Amendment to the scene of the mass shooting 70...
Brandon High School Wrestling State Champions,
Lubbock Cardiologists,
Cindy Paulson Age Now,
Articles F