As we write this letter, we find ourselves two days after the horrific mass shooting at Colorado Springs' Club Q and two days before the Thanksgiving holiday. When this letter is published, Thanksgiving will have already passed. But that does not mean that we should not pause to reflect on the meaning of community and the searing, scaring effect of a deadly attack on any community.
For over 30 years, the focus of CAMP Rehoboth Community Center has been to Create A More Positive (CAMP) Rehoboth, where there is room for all. CAMP Rehoboth embraces all races, creeds, sexual orientations and seeks to celebrate the differences of others. We all represent multiple strands of one larger, multifaceted community, and being a part of this community is something for which we at CAMP Rehoboth are immensely grateful. Creating a more positive environment means creating physical spaces where all feel welcomed, celebrated and safe to live in authentic truth.
But the senseless act of killing five people and injuring many more that occurred at Club Q earlier this week threatens safe spaces everywhere. It provides a stark and very human reminder that tragedy's ugly face can reveal itself at any time. On the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance, the shooting became a sad demonstration that the most marginalized members of our community are at risk. CAMP Rehoboth extends our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those who died or were injured during the mass murder at Club Q.
We also express our undying gratitude to those who subdued the attacker and prevented the loss of even more lives. In those heroic acts we find the true sense of the meaning of community – it's about neighbors coming together as neighbors, friends standing up for and with friends.
In the wake of the Club Q tragedy and on the eve of the Thanksgiving holidays, we are reminded of the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "None of us is free until all of us are free." We are eternally sorry for the tragic loss at Club Q, but we remain hopeful and grateful to be at the heart of our local community. May we continue to cultivate lasting relationships that make all of us even stronger and even more committed to building a community where there is room for all.
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