On a regular night, partygoers entered the Pulse night club. However, they did not know that they may never leave. At 2:00 AM, Omar Mateen opened fire on the night club. After hours of hiding, standoffs, and horror, 50 people were announced dead and 53 injured. This was the worst act of terror since the Virginia Tech massacre and 9/11.
Omar Mateen was a 29 year old Afghan-American born in New York in 1986. His parents, who came to New York from Afghanistan, recall their son having a reaction of disgust after seeing two men kissing. He was married to his wife for three years before getting a divorce. His wife says their relationship changed as soon as the “I do’s” were said. She recalls him acting with bipolar like behavior, though not officially diagnosed, as well as abusing her.
Partygoers came to Pulse, the hottest gay night club in Orlando, for Latin Night. After opening fire, witnesses say it was a domino effect. As helpless bodies hit the floor, the rest hid and called for help. People hid in air vents, behind bars and under bodies while some scaled six foot fences to escape. Mateen soon called 911, proclaiming his allegiance to ISIS. However, ISIS never returned the favor, or so we know. Mateen held thirty people hostage. Police held their ground for a three hour shootout, which ended with an armored car smashing into the club. Authorities threw stun grenades and shot Mateen dead. That’s the story.
Multiple cultures played a role in this incident. Some of those are Muslim, LGBTQ, Latino, American, Foreign, etc. This attack, for some, reinforces the idea that Muslims are all like extremists. However, there is a rare amount of “Mateens.” In the past years, Islam perception has started to change. People are becoming more open to a religion that takes up much of the world. Hopefully this act of terror will not change opinions.
Social media brings out the best and worst in our population. For most, posts about the attack have been positive, sending prayers and condolences to the friends and families of those fallen, as well as support to the LGBTQ community. However, there are few who think otherwise. Some believe this was an act of God. As if God was punishing those people for being gay or transgender. The Westboro Baptist Church, in usual fashion, used this as a promotion for their “pray-the-gay-away” agenda.
Gun control is going to be a hot topic for a few weeks. Do people kill people? Do guns kill people? This will become a main topic in our political race most likely. CNN says Mateen bought the guns used just like an everyday person, regardless of his acts of psychological insanity and suspicion. Yes, a gun killed 50 people and injured another 53. A person holding a gun also killed 50 people and injured 53 others. A few solutions will float the media. We, as a nation, can make guns illegal, like most foreign nations do. Note that attacks like these occur mostly in the United States. Or, we can let everyone hold a gun to protect themselves. However, a strict psychological test and screening could occur prior to purchase. This argument will be a hot topic in politics until the end of time, or until time gets shot dead. This attack reveals much about our country. It reveals how different we are from each other and how values, beliefs, culture and religion can affect the lives of others.
