apprehended by club patrons Richard Fierro and Thomas James, comes from a conservative Republican family, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. (Icons, a downtown bar with singing staff, opened a year later in 2021.). The Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family is a proponent of family and moral values. We urge everyone to pray for peace and we also pray for the individual or group responsible for this mischievous and unwarranted defacing of our ministrys property.. AP writers Brittany Peterson and Jesse Bedayn in Colorado Springs contributed. broadcast ministry "We recognize the community is hurting in the aftermath of the reckless and violent actions of a very disturbed individual. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. It is important to us that you understand why Focus on the Family must be held accountable for the ramifications of their hateful theology, the statement adds, pointing to the organisations support for legislation targeting transgender people, its falsified research and support for so-called conversation therapy. Anderson Lee Aldrich in court documents, many on the Left blamed conservatives and Christians for the attack, and vandals targeted one prominent conservative Christian group in the city. The SPLC has long branded mainstream conservative and Christian organizations as hate groups, placing them on a list with the likes of the Ku Klux Klan. (In a Monday press conference identifying the victims, department representatives refrained from using gender-specific pronouns to describe the suspect. Someone spray-painted the sign in front of the Colorado Springs-based Christian organization. Wilson does not mention that Gordon Klingenschmitt, who runs the Pray in Jesus Name Project, condemned the shooting. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, is accused of opening fire Saturday in Club Q, a popular LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs. Club Q owner says Colorado There must be a willingness to learn about the full lives of those taken from us for the sake of respecting and honoring their lives.. Daily Briefing The retired Army major was one of the men who. Ever feel like the only difference between the New York Times and Washington Post is the name? You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here. Jim Daly, the President of Focus on the Family, released a statement in response to the graffiti to KRDO NewsChannel 13: "We recognize the community is hurting in the aftermath of the reckless and violent actions of a very disturbed individual. Focus on the Family is a global Christian ministry dedicated to helping families thrive. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Focus on the Family has nearly 700 employees who workSee this and similar jobs on LinkedIn. Joe Biden Turns Americas Government Into Wokeness Inc. But in the face of anti-LGBTQ discrimination and hostility, many Colorado Springs residents established LGBTQ funds and advocacy groups, Colorado Springs Indy columnist Brandon Flanery wrote in 2020. In an article published on Focus on the Family's website in 2016, it writes that "Gender Identity Laws Place Everyone at Risk." Police will often rely on legal names to identify victims or suspects. To be sure, most people share varying degrees of personal information with family, co-workers, friends, and other acquaintances and that is, perhaps, especially true of people in the LGBTQ community. Colorado Springs native Ashlyn May, who grew up in a Christian church but left when it didnt accept her queer identity, said one woman from the group in the tent asked if she could pray for her and a friend who accompanied her to the memorial. The SPLC used that radical Islamic terrorist attack to demonize conservative Christians. People gather at a makeshift memorial near the Club Q nightclub on Monday. A Pride flag wraps around the altar during a vigil Monday at First Congregational Church in Colorado Springs. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) When officials unfurled a 25-foot rainbow flag in front of Colorado Springs City Hall this week, people gathered to mourn the victims of a mass shooting at a popular gay club couldnt help but reflect on how such a display of support would have been unthinkable just days earlier. Michael Robert Travis performs taps while his husband, Michael Travis, films on his phone near Club Q on Sunday. It is no accident that this happened in Colorado Springs, a city steeped in homophobia, transphobia, and white supremacy.. Candidate name: Tom Strand. Lawyers for the suspect in the shooting said in a court filing Tuesday that their client is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, marking the first time that information was public. The suspect accused of killing five people in Law enforcement says a gunman went into the establishment late on the night of Nov. 19 and opened fire, killing five and injuring 18 before he was taken down by a couple of patrons. Some conservative lawmakers and leaders have supported anti-LGBTQ legislation rooted in the same harmful anti-LGBTQ rhetoric espoused by extremist groups. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Phylisha Priester-Collins, her daughter and a friend were inside Club Q when gunfire interrupted their lives and changed their perspectives, forever. This is a time for prayer, grieving and healing, not vandalism and the spreading of hate. Campaign phone The hearing is scheduled to continue through Friday, when a judge will rule if there is enough evidence to take the case which includes more than 300 charges to trial. The department also told ProPublica it would create an LGBTQ liaison program. We have to deal with this psychologically, physically. Ron DeSantis; and state laws protecting children from controversial transgender medical interventions, Wilson turns to address Anti-LGBTQ Hate in Colorado. He claims that far-right figures actively spread smears, conspiracy theories, and falsehoods about LGBTQ people in the months leading up to Saturdays mass shooting.. Contrary to SPLC insinuations, groups like Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council dont hate LGBT people or wish them dead. For some, concealing ones name or gender identity may be a matter of personal safety or job security. Police chief Adrian Vasquez took a basic but still relatively uncommon step when announcing the names of the five victims killed at Club Q, the beloved LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs. Focus on the Family is known for its public stance against same-sex marriage and other LGBTQ issues. Newsweek has reached out to the Colorado Springs Police Department for comment. Two friends, Derrick Rump and Daniel Aston, helped him land the job at Club Q and find his queer family in his new hometown. Contact Paige Skinner at [email protected]. Stephen Groves, Associated Press. Focus on the Family is an evangelical organization founded in California in 1977. Join the millions of people who benefit from The Daily Signals fair, accurate, trustworthy reporting with direct access to: Dont have time to read the Washington Post or New York Times? There has been a concerted push to shed the citys reputation as Jesus Springs and remake it yet again, highlighting its elite Olympic Training Center and branding itself as Olympic City USA. A Warner Bros. The people who lost their lives that night include: CLICK HERE to donate to a verified fundraiser page to help all the victims impacted. Thursday evening, the writing was covered with a trash-bag-like material, but it blew off in the wind. Police said there was no information about who might have vandalized the sign, according to The Gazette. The suspect accused of killing five people in an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs ran a neo-Nazi website and used anti-gay slurs, a police detective testified on Wednesday. The "Sacred Cloth" Pride Flag is displayed following a ceremony at City Hall after a mass shooting at LGBTQ nightclub Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado. WebStop in today so we may find what can help you, and your family, fully serve Christs Kingdom. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. Five people were hospitalized following a shooting on the east side of Colorado Springs on Tuesday evening. The shooting happened just after 7 p.m. at the Alta Convenience Store near the intersection of Palmer Park Boulevard and Potter Drive. Newcomers began lobbying for policies like getting rid of school Halloween celebrations due to suspicions about the holidays pagan origins. We provide help and resources for couples to build healthy marriages that All rights reserved. We recognize the community is hurting in the aftermath of the reckless and violent actions of a very disturbed individual, said Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, in a Friday statement. 5 hospitalized following a shooting on east, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Get to know all 17 Denver mayor candidates , 5 hospitalized following a shooting on east side of Colorado Springs Tuesday evening, Pueblo County deputies shoot, kill man after shots fired near elementary school, Aurora police ask for publics help in identifying suspects in Christmas Eve double homicide, Denver gang member gave 14-year-old permission to open fire on woman with AR-15 after fender-bender, DA alleges, Letters: Proposed age limit for gun ownership in Colorado doesnt make sense, Sheriff: Armed suspect in barricade incident in El Paso County is shot, hospitalized, Off-duty Denver police officer hits, kills man walking on road, Three Summit School District staffers and a former employee face failure to report child abuse investigation, Denver just got a direct flight to this Caribbean island known for music history and vegetarian cooking, Coloradans may have another chance to see the northern lights Monday night, Feds sue water company for rupture damaging Rocky Mountain National Park -- again, Price of gas in Colorado has risen 51% since Suncor's refinery shutdown in late December. / In his first court appearance by video Wednesday, suspect Anderson Lee Aldritch still wore many of the cuts and bruises police say he received when Richard Fierro and Thomas James stopped him that night. Sophia Diana, left, holds her friend Lex Chapman's hand during the vigil at the All Souls Unitarian Church. Focus on the Family spokesperson Katie Anderson confirmed the sign was vandalized, but wouldnt comment on when the incident occurred. If so, you will want to examine your faith convictions with great care and give them priority over every other consideration," the group continued on the page. Dozens of people were inside Club Q that night for a drag show; when the shooting broke out, Richard Fierro and Thomas James, two club patrons, confronted the suspect and beat them, which authorities have said prevented even more people from being killed. Despite the suspects identifying as nonbinary and going by Mx. He said the horrific event exposes the evil and wickedness inside the human heart. The median age is 35. Many news outlets cited Dalys condemnation of the shooting, but the Southern Poverty Law Center notably did not. The nonprofit organization has an evangelical focus. CNN has reached out to the sheriffs office for comment.). Hours & Location Hours: Mon Fri : 9am 5:30pm Sat: 9am 5pm Closed Sunday Address: 8685 Explorer Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80920-1051 Phone: (719)-531-3464 E-mail: [email protected] Available Products Adventures in People pay their respects at a memorial display set up to remember the five victims of the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Tuesday, November 22. Introducing the victims as they lived was a way to represent them with compassion and dignity, Castro told CNN. Some trans people dont seek to change their legal names on identifying documents because of economic or logistical barriers, according to the ACLU. It comes as a shocked Colorado Springs grieves the loss of five people Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump and Ashley Paugh after a person armed with an AR-style rifle fired into Club Q just before midnight on 19 November. Not for the "stupid price" of $150 an acre foot. Sin causes disconnection and separation from God and others. This community, just like any other community in the country, is complex, she said. Woman shot near CU Boulder overnight, suspect is at large, This is unprecedented": Avian flu has killed 12,000 birds in Colorado, Skygazers will have a great view Wednesday of two planets that look like they are almost touching, Letters: Proposed age limit for gun ownership in Colorado doesn't make sense, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, NYC Mayor Adams dismisses need to separate church and state, declares himself a servant of God, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. The Human Rights Campaign reports that the organisation and its leaders continue to promote many dangerous ideas, practices and programs that cause real harm to LGBT+ people and their families. Morning Forecast She is now running to become Denvers mayor. Human Rights Campaign, an organization fighting for LGBTQ rights, posted an article about Focus on the Family, calling the group one of the most well-funded anti-LGBTQ organizations in the U.S. Human Rights Campaign alleges that Focus on the Family uses the $515 million it has raised over the last five years to invest in public education campaigns against LGBTQ equality. When the spray-painted message was shared on Twitter, several users supported the vandalism. Learn more about Willis here. For years its marketed itself as an outdoorsy boomtown with a population set to top Denvers by 2050. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio of Florida. The organization's website has numerous "resources" for sexuality. The SPLC also pointed the finger at conservative hate groupsand then-President Donald Trumpfor the 2016 shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, even though the shooter pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, the terrorist group also known as ISIS. More than one-third of residents are nonwhite twice as many as in 1980. It is unclear if anyone has died as a result of the shooting or if there are more victims involved. Leia-jhene Seals hugs R.J. Lewis during the vigil at the All Souls Unitarian Church. The errors taught by transgender activists, and believed by many today, are likewise a result of sin and deception entering into the world. @Tyler2ONeil, Tyler O'Neil is managing editor of The Daily Signal and the author of "Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center.". Please check your inbox to confirm. A deranged would-be terrorist used the SPLCs hate map to target the conservative Christian group Family Research Council in 2012, intending to shoot everyone in the building and smear a Chick-fil-A sandwich in the face of each of his victims. In the 1990s, the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family advocated to amend the Colorado Springs Constitution to make it illegal to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. Police, media and public officials have a responsibility to lead with respect, said Jay Brown, Human Rights Campaign senior vice president for programs, research and training, in a statement to CNN. The alleged shooter, whose defense attorneys have said uses they/them pronouns, ran a website and posted several videos of other mass shootings, including ones at synagogues and mosques mainly in Europe, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department's Rebecca Joines, the lead detective on the case. 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