ORLANDO, Fla. — The City of Orlando voted to approve the $2-million acquisition of the Pulse Nightclub building. But the vote didn’t come without debate. Many of those who spoke in the meeting are for having this land turned into a permanent memorial, but the difference is how.
The night of the shooting at the Pulse nightclub is a night Maritza Gomez will never forget.
“I went through it. I saw the man. I smelled the gunpowder. I was there when my friends dropped,” said Gomez. “I feel like all the friends that I used to hang out with that night, that I used to have fun and dance with. I would never do that again. I only have my memories. And unfortunately, that memory comes to a bitter end with my friends”.
Gomez was in the VIP section when she heard gunshots. The music stopped when she and her friends ran into the bathroom, hiding from the gunman that took 49 innocent lives at the Pulse Nightclub. Since June 12, 2016, she said she’s never been the same.
“I think about it every day. I can’t go to work without having anxiety. My life is not the same. All I want to do is have that part of my life in my past. I can’t even do that because every single day I think about it,” said Gomez.
As the City of Orlando votes to pay $2 million for the land acquisition for the current Pulse Memorial, Gomez isn’t at peace with the vote.
“It’s all about the money. They don’t care about none of us,” said Gomez.
She believes the OnePulse Foundation profited off her and countless other survivors’ trauma.
But not everyone feels the same way as Gomez. Laly Santiago-Leon lost her cousin Danni in the shooting.
“He was always willing to lend a hand. He may not have known you, he may not be able to speak the same language, but he was there,” said Santiago-Leon.
Santiago-Leon cried from happiness when the City of Orlando voted to take on this memorial project. Something she hopes every family and survivor gets to be a part of.
“The world looked at what we did, how we came together. So I feel that we did it seven years ago. This is the opportunity to do this again,” said Santiago-Leon.
As Santiago-Leon is one step closer to reaching that peace and unity. She reflects on the cousin she lost too soon.
“He was a very special person. It’s hard for me to describe. I know that he is watching over us and our family,” said Santiago-Leon.
Mayor Buddy Dyer said he doesn’t know whether OnePulse will remain involved in the future project, but promised the city will be transparent in the next steps. Spectrum News also found out the land purchase will be funded from the current year budget, which is a onetime purchase of $2 million, plus about $50,000 in closing costs.