A vigil for the victims of the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida that left at least 49 dead and 53 injured will take place 8 p.m. Sunday in San Francisco at Harvey Milk Plaza, according to city supervisor Scott Wiener.
The massacre, which unfolded at gay nightclub Pulse, is the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. Police believe the shooter, U.S. born Omar Mateen, targeted the club because he was homophobic.
Wiener announced the vigil on Twitter early Sunday morning. The location is apt: Milk, who was San Francisco's first gay city supervisor, was also the victim of a shooting.
Weiner, who is running for state senate, also hit back at Twitter users who jumped to blame "radical islam" for the shooting, writing: "Let's be clear: Radical Islam doesn't have a monopoly on anti-#LGBT violence. Radical Christianity more than holds its own. #PulseNightclub."
Shortly after the vigil was announced, San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee joined other politicians nationwide and offered his condolensces to the victims of the massacre, while also stressing the need to fiercely combat gun violence.
"San Francisco stands in solidarity with the community of Orlando and the nation in the aftermath of this terrible day," he said. "This is a stark reminder of the violence that still threatens our LGBT community. Senseless acts of violence against innocents, fueled by hate and easy access to deadly firearms, have become all-too frequent. We must continue to work each day to reduce gun violence and ensure every community is safe.
