WebFocus on the Family - Visit Colorado Springs Home Focus on the Family 8605 Explorer Dr | Colorado Springs, CO | 80920 Main: (719) 531-3400 Map Website Overview Focus on the Family welcomes visitors to the ministry's Welcome Center in Colorado Springs. It unearthed memories of hearing things about LGBTQ people she saw as hateful and inciting. In a press conference earlier this week, Vasquez said he wanted to identify the victims how they identified themselves, and how their families have loved and identified them.. WATCH: Why far-right groups are increasingly targeting the LGBTQ community. Severe Weather 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 idea of latching onto a city with a bright future is part of what drew Michael Anderson, a bartender at Club Q who survived last weekends shooting, to move here. Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, is accused of opening fire Saturday in Club Q, a popular LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs. Priester-Collins is sharing her story only now as the suspected shooters preliminary trial begins because she says shes worried this community is forgetting them with such a focus on the suspected shooter. He said the horrific event exposes the evil and wickedness inside the 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. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. The man suspected of fatally shooting five people and injuring more than a dozen others at an LGBTQ nightclub is facing murder We still have to live with the nightmares, the PTSD, Priester-Collins explained. 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. Have an opinion about this article? The nonprofit organization has an evangelical focus. Joe Biden Turns Americas Government Into Wokeness Inc. "[Gay is] a word that means what other people say it meansnothing more, nothing less," the webpage said. 2:27 PM EST, Wed November 23, 2022. Law enforcement agencies have not revealed Anderson Lee Aldrichs alleged motive, but the clubs owners and LGBT+ advocates have condemned a surge of inflammatory anti-gay and anti-trans rhetoric and politicised harassment from right-wing and religious figures and Republican officials in the weeks and months that preceded the attack. 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.. City council debates revolve around issues familiar throughout the Mountain West, such as water, housing and the threat of wildfires. Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton joined The Denver Post in January 2022 as a business reporter, focusing her coverage on social inequities in business. The message reads: "Their blood is on your hands. The Club Q shooting suspect identifies as nonbinary. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. 1996 - 2023 NewsHour Productions LLC. They merely follow the Bibles teaching on homosexual activity and gender, along with Jesus instructions to preach the Gospel and build up the church. Outside the scene of a shooting at Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs in 2015. Update 11/28/2022, 10:23 a.m. Wilson singles out Colorado Springs and Focus on the Family: Colorado Springs, where the shooting took place, has itself long been a hub for the Christian Right, which for decades has pumped out anti-LGBTQ propaganda in the name of a narrow and exclusionary definition of family. The families of the five individuals killed in Saturday nights senseless attack are in our prayers. In another PDF handout, Focus on the Family encourages parents to tell their children that "Sin has confused them; they need God's help to follow Him," when discussing same-sex couples. The Orange County Sheriffs Department had previously responded to the 2016 mass shooting at Pulse, a popular gay nightclub in Orlando, where 49 people were killed. 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. We do. 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. Vandals spray-painted the Focus on the Family building in the wee hours of Thanksgiving morning. Ever feel like the only difference between the New York Times and Washington Post is the name? But even departments in cities with sizable LGBTQ populations, such as the Orange County Sheriffs Department in central Florida, can be careless in their interactions with LGBTQ victims and witnesses: In 2018, when investigating the death of Sasha Garden, a Black trans woman, the sheriffs office misgendered her and used descriptions that LGBTQ advocates said were damaging, the Orlando Sentinel reported. It goes on to claim, "Transgender-identified and gender dysphoric individuals are not necessarily more dangerous than anyone else. Copyright 2022 KKTV. The amendment passed, and Colorado earned the nickname the hate state, according to the Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum. Learn more about Willis here. It was a safe space for the LGBTQ community of Colorado Springs, Club Q was Colorado Springs only remaining gay bar at the time of Flanerys piece. Not for the "stupid price" of $150 an acre foot. Opinion: Colorado farms going fallow? 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. It is no surprise that someone did this in the city that is home to such a hateful organization as Focus on the Family.. This is a time for prayer, grieving and healing, not vandalism and the spreading of hate, Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, said in a statement shared with The Independent. Photo by Trevor Hughes/USA Today. 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 , Focus on the Familys Colorado Springs headquarters sign vandalized days after Club Q mass shooting. Copyright 2023 KKTV. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio of Florida. (Photo: Focus on the Family), Tyler O'Neil A person pauses to pay respects at a makeshift memorial in November 2022, near Club Q. Wilson does not mention that Gordon Klingenschmitt, who runs the Pray in Jesus Name Project, condemned the shooting. Jeremy, right, comforts his partner Anthony, one of the survivors wounded in the mass shooting at Club Q, at Centura Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs on Tuesday. Priester-Collins watched the preliminary hearing remotely because she was unsure she would be able to stay calm inside the courtroom with the person accused in the attack sitting feet away. newsletter for analysis you wont find anywhereelse. In the 1940s, military bases arrived. Club Q owner says Colorado Wilsons article doesnt mark the first time the Southern Poverty Law Center has suggested that anti-LGBT hate and conservative Christians may be responsible for a shooting at a gay nightclub. Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Phylisha Priester-Collins, her daughter and a friend were inside Club Q when gunfire interrupted their lives and 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: Bookstore.Associate@fotf.org Available Products Adventures in This can make it difficult to discern whether police and media are using the right terms to describe them. Colorado Springs, a city of about 480,000 located 70 miles south of Denver, is home to the U.S. Air Force Academy, as well as Focus on the Family, a prominent evangelical Christian ministry. Colorado Springs once had a reputation as an unwelcoming place for LGBTQ residents. It's an apparent reference to the mass shooting at the gay nightclub, Club Q, where five people died Saturday night. The shooting at Club Q occurred at a time when anti-LGBTQ sentiment continues to flare across the US. Much of the legislation aimed to limit trans youths access to gender-affirming health care or banned participation in school sports that aligned with their gender. The department also told ProPublica it would create an LGBTQ liaison program. The Daily Signal depends on the support of readers like you. 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. Two friends, Derrick Rump and Daniel Aston, helped him land the job at Club Q and find his queer family in his new hometown. 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. 1 killed in northeast Colorado Springs car crash, marking the 10th traffic fatality of 2023, Serious crash along Highway 24 on the west side of Colorado Springs Tuesday afternoon, WATCH - Colorado grocery and convenience stores to sell wine, Standoff near Pueblo County elementary school ends with suspect shot, Springs restaurant holding fundraiser for fallen Fountain police officer, senseless loss of life at Club Q nearly one week ago, first court appearance by video Wednesday, Richard Fierro and Thomas James stopped him that night, in 2014 spoke out against adding sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression to non-discrimination laws. The vandals added, Five lives taken.. We will never, ever, ever stop being who we are, Vigil tweeted. In the 1990s it became known as a home base for evangelical nonprofits and Christian ministries including the broadcast ministry Focus on the Family and the Fellowship of Christian Cowboys. This is a time for prayer, grieving and healing, not vandalism and the spreading of hate," Focus on the Family President Jim Daly told Newsweek in an emailed statement. Club Q was more than a night out. Now five are dead, at least 25 are injured, and an unknown number are traumatized for life by an act of violence primed by conspiracy thinking and hateful propaganda, Wilson concludes. The Orange County Sheriffs Department did not immediately respond to CNNs request for comment on their handling of Gardens case. The families of the five individuals killed inSaturday night's senseless attack are in our prayers. These attacks should come as no surprise to those familiar with this leftist groups political tactics. Much like in the 1990s, Focus on the Family and New Life Church remain prominent in town. A Warner Bros. On Wednesday, defense attorneys brought up the suspect's gender identity and sexuality, saying that they told James, "My mom will not accept me because I'm gay, you're all the same.". 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. All Rights Reserved. Opinion: Colorado farms going fallow? But since hes been here, he said, it has risen from recession-era struggles and become culturally and economically vibrant for all kinds of people. Focus on the Family is privileged to be one of many organizations in our city positioned to help and support the needs of struggling individuals and families. These are the victims of the Colorado club shooting. "Today, they should be thankful we don't repay blood with blood," another tweeted. Focus on the Family President Jim Daly condemned the shooting on the day it occurred. The SPLC used that radical Islamic terrorist attack to demonize conservative Christians. 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. A sign on the property of the Colorado-based evangelical organisation Focus on the Family was vandalised with graffiti reading blood is on your hands and fives lives taken, an apparent reference to a mass shooting inside a Colorado Springs LGBT+ nightclub that left five dead and injured 18 others. The people who lost their lives that night include: CLICK HERE to donate to a verified fundraiser page to help all the victims impacted. In the early 20th century, newcomers sought to establish a resort town in the shadow of Pikes Peak. For others, the shocking act of violence in a space considered an LGBTQ refuge shattered a sense of optimism pervading everywhere from the citys revitalized downtown to the sprawling subdivisions on its outskirts. Below you will find contact information and answers to a candidate questionnaire from The Gazette. Many right-wing extremist groups have narrowed their focus on drag performers who read books to children at local libraries or other venues. Survivors and victims' family members were in court on Wednesday. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. In a 2018 analysis, ProPublica found that in 74 out of 85 cases of murders of trans people, law enforcement agencies referred to the victims by the wrong name and gender. 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. Regardless of motive, I condemn the demonic violence ruling inside the heart of the shooter in the Colorado Springs nightclub, Klingenschmitt wrote on Facebook on Nov. 20. It is no accident that this happened in Colorado Springs, a city steeped in homophobia, transphobia, and white supremacy, the statement continues. A non-profit worker with a 'huge heart.' We recognize the community is hurting in the aftermath of the reckless and violent actions of a very disturbed individual. 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. Club Q mass shooting survivor speaks out on her recovery for the first time. A person pauses to pay respects at a makeshift memorial in November 2022, near Club Q. Their blood is on your hands, vandals spray-painted at the Colorado Springs headquarters of Focus on the Family. Nelly Brusnell signs a cross on the chest of Ivanna Brusnell after placing flowers near Club Q on Sunday. Over the last several decades, Focus on the Family which is based in Colorado Springs has developed into a nationally recognised, well-financed and influential conservative Christian ministry that has lobbied against LGBT+ rights and characterised LGBT+ identities as a particularly evil lie of Satan.. People gather at a makeshift memorial near the Club Q nightclub on Monday. "We'd encourage you not to allow yourself to get locked into that category. Police said there was no information about who might have vandalized the sign, according to The Gazette. Colorado Springs is a community that is full of love. In 2019, Brandon Ragan, one of the departments LGBTQ liaisons, told WMFE, Orlandos public radio station, that the department had made mistakes in its investigation into Gardens death and would learn from them going forward. The organization's website has numerous "resources" for sexuality. 4 min read. Focus on the Family, an evangelical organization in Colorado Springs, was recently vandalized in response to the mass shooting at the LGBTQ nightclub. Focus on the Family's Colorado Springs, Colorado, headquarters was vandalized on Thanksgiving with a message blaming the group for a recent mass shooting that killed five people and injured 18 others. 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. Focus on the Family is privileged to be one of many organizations in our city positioned to help and support the needs of struggling individuals and families, he Though the initiative passed in 1992, in 1995 the Supreme Court found that it violated the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. To some in the LGBTQ community, the scene was less about solidarity and more a cause for consternation. 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. 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