Pulse Nightclub Owner Will Not Sell Property Targeted By Mass Shooting

The owner of the gay nightclub where the worst mass shooting in modern American history took place in June has rescinded on plans to sell the property to the city of Orlando.

Pulse nightclub owner Barbara Poma previously announced plans to sell the site of the massacre to the city and turn the space into a memorial. However, she said in a statement over the weekend that she can’t walk away from the property and plans to turn it into “a sanctuary of hope.”

“I feel a personal obligation to ensure that a permanent space at Pulse be created so that all generations to come will remember those affected by, and taken on, June 12,” she reportedly stated.

The City of Orlando had previously offered $2.25 million to buy the Pulse nightclub property.

The pulse nightclub massacre occurred on June 12, 2016, when Omar Mateen opened fire on attendees during a queer Latinx night. The shooting left 49 queer people and allies, mostly of color, dead.

Poma went on to say that she wants to turn the site “a space for everyone, sanctuary of hope, and a welcoming area to remember all those affected by the tragedy.”