Vigil on East End Tuesday To Honor Lives Lost in Orlando Mass Shooting

BRIDGEHAMPTON, NY - Hours after the deadliest mass shooting in United States history, a peaceful vigil was held outside the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton, as residents struggled to make sense of the nightmare and reached out to one another in the darkest of hours.

And now, a new vigil will be held Tuesday at the Bridgehampton School, according to teacher Tom House.

"Please join me and the students of Bridgehampton School in a candlelight vigil Tuesday evening, June 14, to honor the tragic loss of innocent lives in Orlando," he wrote on Facebook.

The group will meet on the front lawn of the school at 7 p.m. and by 7:30 p.m., will begin a "peaceful walk" into Bridgehampton, stopping at the Hampton Library and making a loop of the village before returning to the school at 9 p.m.

"All are welcome. Bring flashlights, battery-powered candles, signs, banners and pride flags. Spread the word," he wrote.

The world was rocked Sunday by news of the shooting at the Pulse Orlando Night Club & Ultra Lounge, which left 50 dead and 53 injured. As of Monday, all but four of the victims' names have been released.

The shooting took place at the popular gay bar while about 350 people were dancing and drinking. A state of emergency for Orange County has been declared by the City of Orlando and Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

The suspect, Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, was killed by law enforcement in an exchange of gunfire, according to Orlando Police Chief John Mina. Eleven officers involved in the shooting have been placed on leave. An Orlando police officer was shot during the exchange of bullets, but police say his Kevlar helmet saved him.

Sunday night's Bridgehampton vigil was organized, House said, to "help us peacefully mourn the tragic loss of lives and show our solidarity with the Orlando, LGBTQ and Latino communities."

So he called friends and colleagues who he knew would also be feeling the same pain, and, as a trustee at the library, reached out to Hampton Library Director Kelly Harris and other trustees for permission to use the lawn.

Of the gathering, he said, "I was so grateful to be among friends and kindred spirits yesterday to communally express our shock and grief at the horror in Orlando. I didn't want to just sit at home by myself, writing and reacting on Facebook. And I didn't see any public gathering forming locally to honor the victims, so I got in touch with a few of the truly caring people in the community I know, people always ready to give of their time for humane and charitable causes. And they were right there. Yesterday was spur of the moment, and I had never been part of a vigil or demonstration like this before, let alone organized one, so I was winging it."

And yet, the group, he said, seemed to know exactly what to do. House said he was pleased that former students of Bridgehampton and some members of the Bridgehampton staff joined the vigil.

"We were a fairly small group, so we stayed in one spot with the signs we had made, raising them to the west-going Sunday traffic and to people passing on the street. There were so many positive reactions from the passersby; that in itself was very comforting," he said.

Tuesday's vigil, he said, is for students. "I want them to have the opportunity to participate in a vigil, to have an example of their home community coming together to express grief over a national, even global tragedy in a peaceful, caring — but it's for myself, too. I need to do something, face down terror and hate in whatever small ways I can with its opposites: decency, empathy, solidarity. Find my spot of goodness and connect it with others'. There's so much goodness in so many people in our local community, and I want to help display that and nurture that, and I know, by all the interest that's been generated just today, that many others do, too."

House said he was hit hard by the identities of the victims in the tragedy. "They're so young," he said.

Adults and faith leaders, as well as the entire community, are also invited to attend Tuesday's vigil, he said.

House brought signs and banners from Sunday's vigil to show his students Monday; he teaches both middle and high school. Eighth graders volunteered to help paint a banner, he said.

Of the vigils, he said, "You have to stand up to terrorists with solidarity, decency and human goodness," he said. "And it's helpful to be around other people to communally express your grief."

Kathryn Szoka, owner of Canio's bookstore, said Sunday night's vigil "all came together. It was a nice group of people that showed up. We got a really positive response from cars driving by, which felt good. We just wanted to be in solidarity with the LGBTQ community down in Orlando."

Particularly painful was the fact that the tragedy unfolded at a gay nightclub, Szoka said. "When people go someplace where they really feel they might be comfortable and not subject to abuse, to have this happen is even more tragic than you can possibly imagine."

As the world struggles to make sense of the pain, vigils are meaningful, Szoka said. "It's nice to be a community, to be with people, share your sorrow and also, stand in solidarity and try to figure out a different way, instead of rage and anger — to find some kind of healing."

She and House urged people to attend the vigil. 'We want to have a really nice turnout," she said.

Patch photos courtesy of Kathryn Szoka.