‘Live and let live’: Vigils in honor of Colorado shooting victims planned for NEA

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) – Communities around the nation are gathering to honor five people killed in a shooting at an LGBTQIA+ bar in Colorado, including a group in Jonesboro.

“The LGBTQIA+ community is a big family,” Organizer B King said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re from here or from Colorado Springs or anywhere else in the world, we’re one big family and they’re hurting and we’re hurting.”

King is working with others in Jonesboro to hold the two vigils to bring healing and unity to the community struggling to comprehend the violence in Colorado Springs when a gunman walked into the bar, Club Q, and began shooting.

Kelly Loving, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump, Ashley Paugh and Raymond Green Vance were killed.

Club Q was the first LGBTQIA+ bar King ever attended. While King does not know any of the victims, she knows people who were there and still has friends with connections to the club. “It is one of the most heart wrenching things to go through,” she said. “It is not fun to wake up one morning to see your friends checking in one by one marked safe from such catastrophe, and manmade and not a natural disaster, which is bad enough.”

King has two vigils planned for Jonesboro. The first was at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 22, at Creegen’s in downtown. The event included a card signing with all the cards being sent to Club Q.

A vigil attendee, Dean Macdonald Jr. said, “It’s important that we be here in solidarity with the people of Colorado. They suffered a horrible loss and that could be anyone of our friends.”

The second vigil will take place Saturday, Nov. 26, at Centennial Plaza at 6:00 p.m. It will include speakers, including those who have connections to Club Q.

“Live and let live,” King said as she described her ultimate message to the community.

The vigil Saturday will be free and open to the public.

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