We will not take violence against our community and our families lying down.. Will that affect potential hate crime charges? It also causes disconnection and brokenness within. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Phylisha Priester-Collins, her daughter and a friend were inside Club Q when gunfire interrupted their lives and changed their perspectives, forever. The alleged shooter, whose defense attorneys have said uses they/them pronouns, ran a website and posted several videos of other mass shootings, including ones at synagogues and mosques mainly in Europe, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department's Rebecca Joines, the lead detective on the case. Jim Daly, the President of Focus on the Family, released a statement in response to the graffiti to KRDO NewsChannel 13: "We recognize the community is hurting in the aftermath of the reckless and violent actions of a very disturbed individual. We do. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Focus on the Family is the target of graffiti referencing the Club Q shooting. WebStop in today so we may find what can help you, and your family, fully serve Christs Kingdom. His biography for Focus on the Family says he's an Issues Analyst who "regularly shares his story of struggling as a Christian with same-sex attractions and how God brought healing and change to his life.". Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, Colorado Springs shooting: Club Q owners blame new type of hate as suspect held without bond, Ex-Trump lawyer says Colorado Springs victims are reaping the consequences of having eternal damnation, Mass shooting at LGBT+ club follows wave of threats to drag performers and venues, Colorado Springs shooting suspect Anderson Lee Aldrich seen for first time in court, Influential anti-gay evangelical group vandalised after mass shooting, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off and extra perks with Booking.com Genius membership, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 15% off selected items using this eBay discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK February 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this February, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. Hours & Location Hours: Mon Fri : 9am 5:30pm Sat: 9am 5pm Closed Sunday Address: 8685 Explorer Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80920-1051 Phone: (719)-531-3464 E-mail: Bookstore.Associate@fotf.org Available Products Adventures in A person pauses to pay respects at a makeshift memorial in November 2022, near Club Q. These [five] individuals gathered at Club Q with friends and loved ones, new and old, to be in community and to grieve all the lives lost to transphobia, the statement adds, calling the mass shooting an act of hate. At a hearing on Wednesday, prosecutors for the first time provided evidence related to why they charged the 22-year-old suspect with hate crimes as well as murder in the shooting at Club Q. ", The article is written by Jeff Johnston. In the 1990s, the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family advocated to amend the Colorado Springs Constitution to make it illegal to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. Much like in the 1990s, Focus on the Family and New Life Church remain prominent in town. It is no accident that this happened in Colorado Springs, a city steeped in homophobia, transphobia, and white supremacy.. The Family Research Institutewhich reported only $50,000 in revenue in 2021appears not to have addressed the shooting. Adrian Vasquez, chief of the Colorado Springs Police Department, made an effort to use the right names and pronouns for the victims killed at Club Q. Much of the legislation aimed to limit trans youths access to gender-affirming health care or banned participation in school sports that aligned with their gender. Club Q had been considered a safe haven for LGBTQ people in the conservative community of Colorado Springs. In the early 20th century, newcomers sought to establish a resort town in the shadow of Pikes Peak. The Club Q shooting suspect identifies as nonbinary. Focus on the Family's Colorado Springs, Colorado, headquarters was vandalized on Thanksgiving with a message blaming the group for a recent mass Not for the "stupid price" of $150 an acre foot. Woman shot near CU Boulder overnight, suspect is at large, This is unprecedented": Avian flu has killed 12,000 birds in Colorado, Skygazers will have a great view Wednesday of two planets that look like they are almost touching, Letters: Proposed age limit for gun ownership in Colorado doesn't make sense, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, NYC Mayor Adams dismisses need to separate church and state, declares himself a servant of God, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. It goes on to claim, "Transgender-identified and gender dysphoric individuals are not necessarily more dangerous than anyone else. Law enforcement says a gunman Campaign phone number: 719-210-1607. The incident comes as Colorado Springs continues to grieve the senseless loss of life at Club Q nearly one week ago. A police officer lifts barricade tape as authorities respond to the scene of the mass shooting. The shooting at Club Q occurred at a time when anti-LGBTQ sentiment continues to flare across the US. Dealing with things is mentally tough, Priester-Collins told 11 News in her first television interview since the shooting. WebColorado Springs nightclub shooting. Richard Fierro speaks during a news conference outside his Colorado Springs home on Monday, November 21. Stephanie Vigil was just elected to represent Colorado Springs in the state legislature. Below you will find contact information and answers to a candidate questionnaire from The Gazette. Copyright 2022 KKTV. 1 killed in northeast Colorado Springs car crash, marking the 10th traffic fatality of 2023, Serious crash along Highway 24 on the west side of Colorado Springs Tuesday afternoon, WATCH - Colorado grocery and convenience stores to sell wine, Standoff near Pueblo County elementary school ends with suspect shot, Springs restaurant holding fundraiser for fallen Fountain police officer, senseless loss of life at Club Q nearly one week ago, first court appearance by video Wednesday, Richard Fierro and Thomas James stopped him that night, in 2014 spoke out against adding sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression to non-discrimination laws. City council debates revolve around issues familiar throughout the Mountain West, such as water, housing and the threat of wildfires. Anderson Lee Aldrich in court documents, many on the Left blamed conservatives and Christians for the attack, and vandals targeted one prominent conservative Christian group in the city. Leia-jhene Seals hugs R.J. Lewis during the vigil at the All Souls Unitarian Church. Sam Metz, Associated Press, Stephen Groves, Associated Press A statement from a group claiming responsibility for the vandalism, shared by a Twitter account called colorado peoples press, said we chose to proceed with this action because of the incredible violence that Focus on the Family continues to perpetuate against the LGBT+ community. Wilsons article doesnt mark the first time the Southern Poverty Law Center has suggested that anti-LGBT hate and conservative Christians may be responsible for a shooting at a gay nightclub. Priester-Collins watched the preliminary hearing remotely because she was unsure she would be able to stay calm inside the courtroom with the person accused in the attack sitting feet away. We provide help and resources for couples to build healthy marriages that Ren Kurgis, left, and Jessie Pacheco leave flowers Sunday at the growing memorial in Colorado Springs. After the shooting, Joines said, she tried to interview the suspect at the hospital and they cried and asked if anybody was hurt. The Orange County Sheriffs Department had previously responded to the 2016 mass shooting at Pulse, a popular gay nightclub in Orlando, where 49 people were killed. In 2018, after three Black trans women were fatally shot in three separate instances in Jacksonville, Florida, the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office repeatedly refused to refer to the victims by their correct names and pronouns, ProPublica reported. Focus on the Family is privileged to be one of many organizations in our city positioned to help and support the needs of struggling individuals and families, he The hearing is scheduled to continue through Friday, when a judge will rule if there is enough evidence to take the case which includes more than 300 charges to trial. Five people died, and at least 18 others were wounded. "Not bad enough," another tweeted about the vandalism. Police did not announce the Club Q shooting suspects motive, but they face five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury, court records show. The Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family is a proponent of family and moral values. Last year, SPLC Chief of Staff Lecia Brooks insisted that the Southern Poverty Law Center is not anti-Christian at all. If so, the least it could do is condemn the vandalism directed at Focus on the Family. When the Senate recently voted to codify same-sex marriage, holdouts included influential GOP Sens. Feb. 28A year after announcing grand plans for a new transit center, project consultants and Colorado Springs city staff / It unearthed memories of hearing things about LGBTQ people she saw as hateful and inciting. In the 1990s, Colorado Springss Focus on the Family led the fundamentalist charge in support of Amendment 2, a Colorado ballot measure that banned municipalities from including LGBTQ people in their anti-discrimination policies. All Rights Reserved. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Learn more about Willis here. 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Campaign phone Wilson singles out Colorado Springs and Focus on the Family: Colorado Springs, where the shooting took place, has itself long been a hub for the Christian Right, which for decades has pumped out anti-LGBTQ propaganda in the name of a narrow and exclusionary definition of family. Seals hugs Carter Rodriguez outside the All Souls Unitarian Church. The memorials this week attracted a wave of visitors: crowds of mourners clutching flowers, throngs of television crews and also a church group whose volunteers set up a tent and passed out cookies, coffee and water. Colorado Springs native Ashlyn May, who grew up in a Christian church but left when it didnt accept her queer identity, said one woman from the group in the tent asked if she could pray for her and a friend who accompanied her to the memorial. In his first court appearance by video Wednesday, suspect Anderson Lee Aldritch still wore many of the cuts and bruises police say he received when Richard Fierro and Thomas James stopped him that night. Vandals spray-painted the Focus on the Family building in the wee hours of Thanksgiving morning. Thank you. 1996 - 2023 NewsHour Productions LLC. CNN has reached out to the sheriffs office for comment.). Although it is not clear if the suspect had a connection with the organization, the conservative Christian ministry group is known for its anti-LGBTQ messaging. Focus on the Family is privileged to be one of many organizations in our city positioned to help and support the needs of struggling individuals and families, he continued. It is hard. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. The man suspected of fatally shooting five people and injuring more than a dozen others at an LGBTQ nightclub is facing murder Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community Guidelines | KRDO Jobs | FCC Applications |, KRDO FCC Public File | KRDO FCC Applications, Breaking News After growing up in Colorado Springs in a military family like many others in the city she left to study at the University of Colorado in the liberal city of Boulder. Focus on the Family is also listed by the Southern Poverty Law Center among Christian ministries and lobbying groups that comprise the hard core of the anti-gay movement and a primary driver of the religious rights anti-gay crusade.. 2023 Cable News Network. This is a time for prayer, grieving and healing, not vandalism and the spreading of hate," Focus on the Family President Jim Daly told Newsweek in an emailed statement. Introducing the victims as they lived was a way to represent them with compassion and dignity, Castro told CNN. Wilson also suggests that some evangelical churches should lose their nonprofit status for electioneering in support of fundamentalist candidates in school board elections. He notes that the SPLCs hate map lists four anti-LGBTQ hate groups, including two headquartered in Colorado Springs: the Family Research Institute and the Pray in Jesus Name Project. The sign of the Colorado Springs headquarters of the evangelical Christian ministry Focus on the Family was defaced days after a gunman attacked the citys sole LGBTQ+ nightclub. Shortly after the message was discovered, a Gazette photographer found the sign covered in a plastic sheet. In one of the organization's PDF handouts, Focus on the Family writes: "The Bible also teaches that sin has entered the world and affects every area of life. In 2016 she became the first openly LGBTQ and Black person elected to Colorados General Assembly, representing part of Denver. Metz reported from Salt Lake City. 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