The Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club hosted a vigil Sunday to honor the victims of the fatal shooting at an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs.
The vigil took place at San Francisco's Harvey Milk Plaza on Castro and Market streets.
Watch NBC Bay Area News free wherever you are
WATCH HERE"We are not just mourning, I know for me I am also angry," said California State Senator Scott Wiener at the vigil, "I am angry that after all these years, after all these years, our community is still not safe."
The fatal shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs left five people dead and 18 injured. Police have identified the suspect as a 22-year-old man. He was subdued by “heroic” patrons and arrested by police who were on the scene within minutes.
Organizers also noted that this vigil, at Harvey Milk Plaza, is happening just seven days before the 44th anniversary of the assassination of Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. Milk became one of the country's first openly gay elected officials when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977.
"Yet, we have to gather tonight, for yet another senseless act of tragedy,” noted a speaker at the event in the Castro.
Sunday also marks Transgender Day of Remembrance.
“We shouldn’t have to be here tonight, we should be recognizing and commemorating the lives lost this year as every year in the trans community,” said Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis at the vigil. Kounalakis was serving as Acting Governor for California on Sunday.
In San Francisco, a program for Transgender Day of Remembrance took place at La Cocina Municipal Market, which was packed to capacity with attendees remembering trans lives lost.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news with the Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
SIGN UP "People are dying out here and clearly we can see that today, as our queer community is dying, especially in such a polarized time, its’ especially important to be out there today," said Nico Storment who helped to organize the event at La Cocina Municipal Market.
He noted that when he heard about the shooting in Colorado Springs, he thought about how people would really need events to come together and mourn.
"There's so much grief in our community, I think expressing grief is extremely important," Storment said.
Odero Ajamu of San Francisco who attended the Transgender Day of Remembrance program noted, "it's important to have events like this you know, because at the end of the day, we’re all people what’s best is if we have a safe space where we can be ourselves completely and just be here for each other."
At the vigil in the Castro for the victims of the attack in Colorado, San Franciscans talked about what needs to change.
"We have to get right back up and fight for the lives of our communities, so that this never ever, ever happens again," said State Senator Wiener.
Some speakers mentioned laws, some mentioned rhetoric, and others mentioned access to guns.
"As a community, know that the allies you have among us, we will never stop in doing everything we possibly can to ensure that you are all safe and protected, said California Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis.
"We will never stop finding those ways, including doing more to keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have them," she continued.
Suzanne Ford, Interim Executive Director at San Francisco Pride released the following statement:
“Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance - a day where we should be honoring the lives and memory of trans people lost to senseless violence. Instead, we mourn the losses of yet another hate crime against our community.
Republicans always say this is not the time to politicize gun violence, but that's because they are complicit cowards to the gun lobby. These people should not have died in vain - this is the time to act.
We need true gun violence prevention now. But let's not stop there. Let's address the root of anti-LGBTQ+ violence. We need full equality. This is the time to memorialize their legacy by passing the Respect for Marriage Act.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom also took to social media to express his feelings about the fatal shooting and said "Our hearts are with Colorado and all those impacted by this terrible tragedy."
