The survivor of a nightclub mass shooting gave advice to the community of Uvalde at a Vote Latino event on Saturday morning.
As the sixth anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting comes next week, the same pattern of violence crossed state lines to a classroom close to home.
In 2016, a gunman shot through an Orlando night club killing 49 people and injuring 53 people. Survivor and now activist Brandon Wolf said the tragedy in Uvalde is all too familiar, even down to the lawmakers’ responses.
“10-year-old children who went to school like any other day and came out of that classroom with a body bag. It is infuriating to me that anyone could look at those faces, could look at those families and say, there’s nothing that can be done for my brother,” Wolf said.
Instead, the city of Orlando put words to action by forming the Orlando United Assistance Center, which is a hub for victims, their families and first responders to access mental health resources.
“They’ve had their entire worlds turned on their heads. And the very least that we can do is give them the resources necessary to find some healing in that, to find some solace in that, to give them folks to talk to to give them what they need so that they can believe that tomorrow is worth seeing,” Wolf said.
The best way to make it through each day, Wolf said, is to be together as a community.
“I would encourage folks right now to lean on each other’s shoulders, call if you need someone, text if you need someone, visit each other, spend time in person, make meals together. Your community is what will get you through this,” Wolf said.
A hub to assist people in Uvalde with anything from counseling to handling insurance claims will open a temporary location on Monday, until a permanent location is established.
Nearly $5 million was invested in a long-term family resiliency center in Uvalde.
Anyone seeking support can call 888-690-0799 to be connected with services.