Crews began demolishing Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday to make way for a memorial that will pay tribute to the 49 people killed in the attack at the LGBTQ-friendly club nearly a decade ago.
Construction workers began tearing down walls in the long-shuttered venue that were still scarred by bullet holes from the June 12, 2016, attack, when a gunman opened fire during a Latin night celebration, killing dozens and wounding 53 other people before police killed him following a standoff.
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The city of Orlando purchased the Pulse property in 2023 for $2 million and plans to build a $12 million permanent memorial that will open in 2027. Those efforts followed a botched multiyear attempt by a foundation run by the club’s former owner to buy the property.
The plan for the memorial comes at a fraught time for monuments to LGBTQ+ history since President Donald Trump's second term began. The federal government removed a pride flag outside of Stonewall National Monument last year, following a National Park Service memo that prohibits the agency from flying any flags besides the U.S. flag and the flag of the Department of the Interior.
A similar battle played out in Orlando last year, when local officials clashed with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis because workers painted over a rainbow mural on the crosswalk in front of Pulse. The move came after the Florida Department of Transportation issued a memo that prohibited “surface art” associated with “social, political or ideological messages or images and does not serve the purpose of traffic control.”
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The Pulse attacker had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.
