To the editor: The presence of a gift shop erected by the OnePulse Foundation on the Pulse Nightclub property, mere feet from the bullet-riddled facade, served as an initial indication that something was amiss in Orlando following the mass shooting that killed 49, injured over 50, and traumatized over 200 more.
However, it was the Foundation’s dissolution at the close of 2023 — after expending millions of dollars without laying a single brick — that unequivocally signaled the depth of the problem.
In 2019, we learned with the rest of the public about what was initially a $45 million memorial museum project spearheaded by the OnePulse Foundation. It marked an unprecedented attempt by a business owner to turn a mass shooting into a tourist attraction, with millions in taxpayer dollars allocated to privatize a public tragedy.
This revelation prompted our community to unite for another cause. Affected community members, Pulse survivors, and victims' families joined forces to denounce the now-defunct and discredited OnePulse Foundation, its "capital projects," and its exorbitant executive salaries.
While vehemently opposing the Foundation, we championed a vision of justice and ethical commemoration. As part of our vision, we advocated for a public memorial. We envisioned a dignified process led by the victims' families that was free from the spectacle of fundraising, akin to any other taxpayer-funded public works project.
However, with the OnePulse Foundation out of the way and the City assuming control of the memorial project, we are witnessing the City continue the harms done by the OnePulse Foundation. The City, rather than budgeting for a new memorial park, has enlisted its nonprofit arm, Strengthen Orlando, to perpetuate the OnePulse Foundation's misguided strategies.
The City's decision to revive the Foundation's CommUnity Rainbow Run fundraising event, branding it as a "family-friendly celebration," demonstrates a failure to learn from past mistakes. Instead of disassociating from the OnePulse Foundation's flawed approach, the City appears intent on replicating its missteps.
This week, the City sent an email to Pulse families and survivors about the CommUnity Rainbow Run perpetuating fundraising and marketing campaigns used by an insolvent nonprofit to exploit the tragedy and its victims. The City's email also reproduces a narrative of resilience that overlooks the enduring suffering of survivors and families. The fundraising event itself is distasteful for its disregard of the tragedy's solemnity through rainbow buffoonery, insensitive as runners joyfully retrace the path survivors took while they ran for their lives, and wasteful due to the squandering of resources required to fund this charade.
It is imperative that the City reevaluates its approach and prioritizes the wishes of the victims' families and survivors. A memorial project guided by dignity and respect, rather than recycled fundraising gimmicks, is essential to honoring the memory of those lost and the ongoing pain of survivors.
Furthermore and in light of the news that Orange County taxpayers will be footing yet another bill for the OnePulse Foundation, it is also necessary that a local or state agency conducts a forensic audit of the OnePulse Foundation and obtains their bank statements and meeting minutes. This step is crucial so that legitimate questions can be answered, such as: Where are the hundreds of thousands of dollars in outstanding donations earmarked for scholarships?
Additionally, it is essential to ascertain the amount spent by the OnePulse Foundation to cover property taxes for the nightclub property, which was privately owned by former CEO Barbara Poma, her husband Rosario Poma, and their longtime friend Michael Panaggio. Payments for the their personal property taxes were made by the Foundation separate from (and in addition to) Barbara Poma's six-figure executive salary. We have been calling out this clear conflict of interest, as well as other issues and conflicts of interest, since we began organizing in 2019. We were dismissed and no actions were ever taken.
We will continue to publicly call for answers, accountability, positive change, respect, and dignity.
Signed:
— Carmen N. Capo, mother of Luis Omar Ocasio Capo, who was murdered at Pulse Nightclub at 20 years old
— Jessenia Márquez, mother of survivor Kassandra Marquez and cousin of Brenda Márquez McCool, who was shot and killed on the dancefloor of the Pulse Nightclub and was the mother of 11 children
— Tony Marrero, wounded survivor of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, shot 15 times: four times in the lower back, eight shattering left arm, and three times in the stomach
— Darelis N. Torres Lopez, survivor of the Pulse Nightclub shooting
— Jorshua N. Hernández-Carrión, wounded survivor of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, shot twice: once in the left arm and once in the torso with a bullet still lodged in body
— Jean Carlos Martinez Peña, survivor of the Pulse Nightclub shooting
— Orlando Torres, injured survivor of the Pulse Nightclub shooting who was trapped in the bathroom for three hours: Orlando was injured while being pulled out of a small hole made by SWAT in the cinderblock wall to evacuate trapped victims from the building.
— Charlotte Davis, former Pulse employee and victims advocate
— Robin Harris, affected community member and victims advocate
— Yolie Cintron, victims advocate
— Olga Disla, mother of Anthony Luis Laureano Disla, who was murdered at Pulse Nightclub at 25 years old
— Dr. Zachary Blair, co-founder of the Community Coalition Against a Pulse Museum and President of VictimsFirst
Pulse Victims and Survivors for Justice
pulsefamilies.com
We provided a small number of signatories to be mindful of space, but over 170 survivors and victims' family members are part of our group.
