Center Project holds a vigil for Columbia residents to honor victims of the Colorado Springs shooting

After an unspeakable atrocity in Colorado Springs, Columbia residents gathered in mourning for the victims and to vocalize their grief and fears.

About four dozen Columbia residents gathered at the Center Project House Tuesday evening for a vigil to honor the victims of the mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs Saturday night.

Center Project Secretary Janet Davis spoke at the vigil, welcoming the attendees and then beginning words she had pre-written.

"They felt safe in their space," Davis said. "That night, five people were killed. Twenty-five others were injured. Nineteen of them were injured by gunfire. The victims now cannot speak for themselves. So we have to speak for them."

Derrick Rump, Daniel Aston, Kelly Loving, Raymond Vance and Ashley Paugh were killed, and the 25 others were wounded, during a shooting rampage at Club Q, a self-described "safe haven" for the LGBTQ+ community, just before midnight on Saturday.

Two patrons, Richard Fierro and Thomas James, overcame the gunman to stop the shooting.

The Center Project offered the LGBTQ+ community and allies in Columbia a safe place to grieve. There were bottles of water, candles for the vigil and a book attendees could sign to send their thoughts to the victims and families of those affected by the mass shooting at Club Q.

The book was signed from the Columbia, Missouri queer community.

Davis read the names of the five killed at the club and led a moment of silence before allowing the attendees to speak.

Over a dozen spoke out about their feelings. In their grief, they remembered they all weren't alone.

These voices spoke of pain about the continued attacks on the LGBTQ+ community. They also talked about how tired they were from carrying the weight of wondering if their safe spaces were actually safe from those who would aim to do them harm.

Two people who spoke knew two of the victims. They spoke of the light they brought to the world and how the world feels robbed now of their presence.

Tyler Dawson spoke about Derrick Rump, the bartender at Club Q, saying Rump left a lasting impression on him when he lived in Colorado Springs and would visit Club Q.

"I woke up the other day screaming," Dawson said.

Others spoke about how tiring the tragedy was. Some who spoke out detailed how angry they'd become since first hearing about the horror, and how numb the news became.

The mass shooting in Colorado Springs was another specific act of violence that targeted members of the LGBTQ+ community. According to the Human Rights Campaign, nearly 1 in 5 of any type of hate crime is motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ bias.

"We know anti-LGBTQ+ hate is on the rise and gun violence impacts our community at devastating rates," Incoming Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson said in a statement. "We must rise against hate in the strongest possible terms, we must stand together in solidarity and love with our LGBTQ+ family in Colorado Springs and demand an end to this epidemic of gun violence. From Pulse to Colorado Springs to so many other lives stolen from us — this has occurred for far too long."

These numbers also run parallel to gun violence statistics. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 606 mass shootings in the United States in 2022 as of Wednesday morning.

Earlier in 2022, 21 people, including 19 children and two teachers, were killed at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24. Ten days earlier, 10 people were killed in a shooting at a Buffalo supermarket.

The shooting in Colorado Springs also occurred on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance, which honors the memory of transgender people who were victims of discriminatory violence.

In Columbia, in the wake of the violence, the anger and fear remained. However, that didn't stop others from being hopeful that compassion and love would dispel anger and fear in the future.

"There aren't any words that can describe the pain, the loss," Davis said. "All of us together, tonight, can take a moment to lift each other up, show each other the love that we all need."

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Center Project holds a vigil to honor victims in Colorado Springs