by Love and Rage Collective/Upcoming Events

UTICA – A candlelight vigil will be held in Utica this evening at 7:30 PM at Hanna Park located at Utica City Hall.

Organizers of the event are providing candles and encouraging those who wish to attend to come up to 15 minutes early for them and urge people to RSVP via Facebook in order to prepare enough candles.

The event comes as communities around the world have begun to show their support for the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, where gunman Omar Mateen killed 49 members of Orlando’s LGBTQIA community.

Demonstrations across the United States and world have served as a statements of solidarity in support of LGBTQIA communities, against Islamophobia and broader calls for peace.

The Love and Rage Media Collective fully supports the LGBTQIA and Latinx communities affected by the events in Orlando and beyond, as violence against these groups, particularly against Black and Latinex LGBTQIA persons, is common and widespread. We stand in solidarity against the measures and demagogues which produce a culture of fear and hate around marginalized groups. This includes the broad Islamophobic brushes applied to Muslims in the aftermath of Sunday’s shootings in Orlando.