ORLANDO: Pulse Owner To Unveil Memorial Plans

The Orlando Sentinel reports:

As the one-year anniversary of the Pulse terror attack nears, the nightclub’s owner, Barbara Poma, next week will announce details about plans for a permanent memorial at the scene of the nation’s largest mass shooting.

“Pulse has always been a part of me, but after this tragedy which took 49 lives, it became a part of this community and the world,’’ Poma said in a news release. “It’s important that we as a community be mindful and take great care to preserve, honor and help heal.”

Poma has said she wanted a memorial at the site since the day after the shooting. The entire area around Pulse, 1912 S. Orange Ave., was a crime scene for a week after the attack. But when the street reopened, the vacant black building quickly became a magnet for grief, vigils, flowers, artwork and impromptu memorials. Even now, more than 10 months later, people still visit daily.

In December, Poma was criticized by some when she rejected a $2.25 million offer from the city, which planned to create a permanent memorial of their own at the site.