The City of Orlando’s plans for a permanent Pulse memorial include transparency, an efficient timetable, and culturally competent experts facilitating community involvement.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer highlighted those values today in an update from the city about plans to build a permanent memorial at the Pulse nightclub shooting site.
Dyer noted that the memorial will honor the 49 victims and dozens of survivors of the 2016 Pulse nightclub mass shooting, and will offer “a place where all those impacted by the tragedy can remember and reflect.”
In stressing community involvement, he said, “Input will also inform a process for creating a working memorial advisory committee with members representing families, survivors, and other stakeholders with the goal of moving toward a conceptual design for the memorial by the end of this calendar year.”
The emphasis on survivor involvement and transparency comes after years of tension and conflicting visions for the site’s use, which took place between the site’s previous owners and the non-profit OnePulse foundation that folded late last year.
The city purchased the Pulse property for $2 million six months ago.
Dyer said he’ll deliver continuing updates as the memorial plans develop.
He stressed that the city will build a memorial, not a museum.
