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Light Drizzle Fog/Mist After Orlando, sadness and stepped-up security
As the shocking details of last Sunday’s mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., emerged this week, local police and community organizations ramped up security, and gathered for prayer.
On Monday, Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and Acting Police Commission Thomas Krumpter held a press conference to discuss the training of county police and new equipment available to them. Nassau County Police Department officials showcased new ballistic helmets and vests for officers on patrol as well as some of the department’s newest anti-terror assets, which include the Rook, a tactical machine for hostage rescue and barricaded suspects; and the Med Cat, a multi-purpose vehicle with rapid medical intervention capabilities.
The LGBT Network, an association of nonprofit organizations serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities of Long Island and Queens, set up an emergency line for those needing to talk or text with someone about the shooting. The number is (631) 647-0142.
“I’m absolutely grieving over the fact that our LGBT brothers and sisters, and our community and family, have been in this tragic situation,” said Juli Grey-Owens, a Long Island LGBTQA Visibility Coalition committee member. “But the most important thing to note is that this was a terrorist attack. This was someone who was a terrorist, who believed in ISIS and was filled with hate. That, to me, is not so much a hate crime as much as it is an issue of terrorism. He probably thought that this was a way to put fear in people — and I’m sure he hated LGBT people.”
“My thoughts are with the family and friends of those murdered in Orlando. and I continue to pray for those injured and struggling for life,” Hempstead Town Councilman Anthony D’Esposito said. “God bless my brothers and sisters in blue from the Orlando Police Department and other law enforcement agencies at the scene of this heinous act of terror.”
Island Park Mayor Michael McGinty added, “God Bless and hold the victims in the palm of his hand! Our prayers and sympathies are with the families, significant others and friends.”
“This could happen anywhere,” said Island Park resident Caryn Deik, who served in the Army, “and can happen over and over again …”
“Such a tragedy!” said Carlos Zapelli of Oceanside, the owner of Fluffy Angel Pet Grooming in Island Park. “Can this be the norm for us? We have to be more vigilant, and if we see something, say something. Too many people are not paying attention to their surroundings. All I see is our society running around with their attention on their technology. This enemy is living around us. We need to fight back, and to do that we need to work together and live our everyday lives normally.”
“We have had more mass shootings in the past eight years than ever before,” said Amy Goodstein-Kesten of Oceanside. “Every time there’s another, it seems it is the ‘largest in history.’ Then the false sense of safety your government projects comes up next. [We] up the police and armed forces presence everywhere for a few weeks until complacency sets in and funds run out. Do you see a pattern here? There is no simple answer, but not changing anything for real is not the answer!”
“The Islamic Center of Long Island strongly condemns the horrific shooting …,” read a statement issued by the center’s president, Isma H. Chaudhry. “Islam strictly condemns extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives. Targeting civilians’ lives through any method of attack is forbidden, and those who commit these acts are criminals. As Muslims and people of faith, we must remember that God has directed us to defend all people equally and against bigotry, hate, violence and abuse. The preservation of life is one the of main principles prescribed by the Islamic faith. The Qur’an, Islam’s revealed text, states, ‘Whoever kills a person unjustly … it is as though he has killed all mankind. And whoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved all mankind.’”
