The 49 wooden crosses honoring the Pulse nightclub victims were moved Tuesday morning for historic preservation. The mother of one victim helped moved the crosses from outside Orlando Regional Medical Center.
Dozens watched silently as Mayra Alvear lifted the cross honoring her daughter Amanda and moved it into a waiting truck. Then one by one the remaining 48 crosses were removed from the edge of Lake Beauty outside the hospital.
Alvear says it was the grace of God that she was here to help move the crosses. “I’m so thankful that it did, and that everything was done with respect and honor,” she said. “Love wins. Love, not hate.”
An Illinois man made and delivered the crosses to the memorial outside Orlando Regional Medical Center shortly after the mass shooting. They will be preserved at the Orange County Regional History Center with other items from Pulse memorials.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer says it’s been a tough 30 days since the shooting. “I think moving the crosses is part of the healing process,” said Dyer, “to help us start getting to where we need to be in that next step.”
Orlando Health will create a paver garden outside the hospital to honor the nightclub victims.
It’s too early to name an exact location or a permanent memorial, said Dyer, but it could possibly be built at the site of the Pulse nightclub.