Law enforcement and medical assistance arriving at the scene (City of Orlando via Wikimedia)
It’s not clear what can be said in response to the shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando that left 49 people dead and 53 wounded. In the face of a tragedy like this, the worst mass shooting in American history, words seem inadequate.
But words are what we work with as lawyers. And to their credit, a number of law firms and law schools have issued eloquent, heartfelt statements about the tragic events in Orlando. We have posted two of the best below, one from Paul Weiss and one from NYU Law School.
Let us hope that these words will be followed by actions that will make our world a safer and better place.
UPDATE (6:18 p.m.): If you’d like to make a charitable donation, check out the Pulse Victims Fund established by Equality Florida, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and leading LGBT civil rights organization in the state.
PAUL, WEISS, RIFKIND, WHARTON & GARRISON — EMAIL — ORLANDO & PAUL WEISS
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From: Karp, Brad S
Sent: Sunday, June 12, 2016 11:27 PM
Subject: Orlando & Paul Weiss
Dear Members of the Paul Weiss Community,
Words cannot adequately express the heartbreak and horror over this morning’s tragedy in Orlando.
Our firm has spent years fighting discrimination against the LGBT community and pressing for equality, culminating in our transcendent victory in Windsor.
Today’s events remind us that while we may have secured victory in the courts, we still must fight social prejudice and narrow-minded hatred every day in our neighborhoods.
Today’s events, like so many prior horrific incidents, also call into question our nation’s gun laws. Many of you have approached me in recent weeks and suggested we exercise our pro bono muscle and consider litigation promoting sensible gun control.
We have been speaking with the Law Center Against Gun Violence, the Brennan Center and the Brady Center to explore litigation designed to promote sensible gun control and to combat certain arbitrary practices on the part of gun manufacturers.
We hope that, through our efforts, we will be able to play a small role in eradicating senseless gun violence, just as we have played a role in establishing a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, protecting the voting rights of the disenfranchised, and combating segregation in our public schools.
It is in our DNA to act when we see injustice. We cannot sit idly.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost loved ones this morning.
Brad
NYU LAW SCHOOL — COASES LIST — JOINT STATEMENT ON THE ORLANDO SHOOTING
From: Matt Barnett
Date: Sun, Jun 12, 2016 at 11:48 PM
Subject: OUTLaw, MLSA, ACS & Brady Campaign Joint Statement on the Orlando Shooting
To: Law School Exchange
OUTLaw, the Muslim Law Students Association, and the NYU Law chapters of the American Constitution Society and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence would like to issue a joint statement on the events in Orlando last night.
We foremost would like to express our profound sympathy for the victims and solidarity with the LGBTQ community, both in Orlando and across the world. The attack happened in a nightclub—traditionally a place of refuge for the LGBTQ community—but we refuse to be fragmented or frightened into silence and we will continue to find strength in community. We also recognize that queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming people of color bear a disproportionate share of the violence against our community—we will not look over the fact that it was “Latin Night” at the targeted club.
We condemn those who would use this event to further narratives of Islamophobia and xenophobia and we refuse to let violence against us be used to justify violence against others. We refuse to allow this event to be used to drive a wedge between our communities: we recognize that the forces seeking to otherize Muslims and marginalize the LGBTQ community are one in the same.
We furthermore condemn those who would seek to minimize the role of firearm access in this tragedy. This was the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the United States, but barring dramatic action to restrict civilian access to weapons of war, it will not be the last.
The beginning of the modern LGBTQ movement began with an act of violence against another nightclub, not far from NYU Law. We hope that as we heal, we can find courage in one another and rise from this tragedy stronger and more engaged than ever in the fight for equality, inclusion, and autonomy. None of us are free until all of us are free.
In solidarity,
The executive boards of OUTLaw, the Muslim Law Students Association, and the NYU Law chapters of the American Constitution Society and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
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David Lat is the founder and managing editor of Above the Law and the author of Supreme Ambitions: A Novel. You can connect with David on Twitter (@DavidLat), LinkedIn, and Facebook, and you can reach him by email at [email protected].