On June 12 – on a Latino-themed night – Omar Mateen opened fire at Pulse Nightclub, killing 49 and wounding dozens more. Since the devastating event that rocked the LGBTQ and Latino communities, the gay nightclub has remained closed. Just outside, people have memorialized the victims. Now, the City of Orlando wants to make the site an official memorial. “It has great significance not just for the LGBTQ community and for the Hispanic community but for all of us that live and love Orlando,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said, according to The New York Times. “I think it is very important that city take control of the site.”
The city announced plans to purchase the 4,500-square-foot building for $2.25 million last week. The deal was supposed to be finalized this week, but the Orlando City Commission vote has been postponed, according to WFTV.
There’s currently no plans for what the memorial will look like. The site will remain the same for the next 12 to 18 months, so that people around the world can visit the club. Eventually, the city will invite the community and activists to make suggestions about how to move forward with the site.