Christopher Vasquez, joined by others, placed a flower at the Pulse Nightclub memorial at 18th and Castro streets Monday, June 12, the seventh anniversary of the mass shooting at the LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando, Florida that left 49 people dead and 53 injured. It had been Latin Night at Pulse that evening when gunman Omar Mateen entered the building, and most of the victims were Latino. It was the deadliest incident against LGBTQ people in U.S. history. The San Francisco tribute also included a short remembrance at Jane Warner Plaza that featured speakers and dances by the Bay Area Mexico Dance Group. In a statement, Congressmember Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) noted that "49 beautiful souls were lost and more than 50 were injured." Since then, of course, many more mass shootings have occurred, and President Joe Biden signed a new gun safety law last year. But Pelosi said more action is needed and called on congressional Republicans to join Democrats to reinstate the assault weapons ban and enact universal background checks.
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