Las Vegas nightclubs mostly silent on Orlando shooting
When 50 people were shot to death and another 53 were injured at an Orlando, Florida, gay club in Sunday morning’s early hours, Demicahan Lov, aka “D-Lov,” and Jonathan Arroyo were at Las Vegas gay club FreeZone.
“Did you hear about the shooting in Florida,” Arroyo recalled being asked while partying at the club.
His response then was, “No.”
At the nightclub in Orlando, a man entered about 2 a.m. with an assault-style rifle and opened fire.
D-Lov and Arroyo returned to their neighborhood LGBT-friendly bar, at 610 E Naples Drive, about 12 hours after the massacre. As news swept through their community, FreeZone’s atmosphere had changed drastically.
All TVs inside were tuned to CNN’s coverage of the shooting. Reporters’ voices were the only sound coming from the speakers. The two other patrons in the bar sat solemnly, eyes on the news.
“We’re not airing any pop music,” bartender Alissa Hinkle said, adding that conversations in the hour she’d worked had centered on the tragedy and what could be done for security. Police had stopped in an unusual three times so far.
Hinkle, Arroyo and D-Lov began to discuss what would happen if FreeZone were targeted like Pulse Nightclub, where the Orlando shooting occurred.
“Imagine this place,” Hinkle said. “It’s like body-to-body in here.”
At that moment, though, only a few people were inside, and the trio honored those who died with a “rainbow shot.”
“It’s famous here,” D-Lov, a “shot boy” at the club said. Hinkle poured red, orange, yellow, green and blue liquids into shot glasses.
After drinking the shot, conversation returned to the shooting and its effects on the gay community.
“If they are targeting gay pride,” D-Lov said, “what are we going to do?”
No one had an answer.
Las Vegas police are preparing for more than attacks targeting the LGBT community, Lt. Jeff Goodwin said Sunday night.
“We are not just focusing on those communities. It’s not necessarily the LGBT aspect, but the nightclub aspect,” he said, citing Vegas’ known nightclub appeal.
Piranha Nightclub, also frequented by the Las Vegas gay community, sits across from FreeZone at 4633 S. Paradise Road.
A woman who answered the club’s phone said she could not discuss security or whether changes had been made in response to the shooting.
A phone call to Phoenix Bar and Lounge, 413 W. Sahara Ave., was not immediately returned, and the phone at Share Nightclub, 4636 Wynn Road, went straight to an answering machine.
They were not the only places staying quiet on the matter.
Most of the rest of the clubs on the Strip and its surrounding area wouldn’t comment on the attack.
When asked about changes to club security following the Orlando attack, representatives from Wynn Resorts Ltd., whose clubs include Intrigue and XS, declined to comment. Representatives from Drai’s and Hakkasan Group, whose clubs include Hakkasan, Omnia and Jewel, did not immediately respond.
A representative for Tao Group said, “Tao Group implements extensive security practices that are constantly reviewed to ensure maximum safety for our guests and employees. In order to maintain the effectiveness of the security measures that are in place we do not share details of specific practices.”
At the Palms Pool and Dayclub, the head of security declined to answer questions, referring reporters to the casino’s public relations team.
In a statement, MGM Resorts International, said, “We take robust steps to protect all areas of our resorts, and exercise additional appropriate measures in and around our entertainment venues. In the wake of the tragedy in Orlando, we are meeting with our partners to ensure proper procedures are being followed with appropriate scrutiny.”
On Saturday, a fundraiser for the victims and families of the Orlando shooting will run during FreeZone’s weekly “Drag Maddness ” show. Details are few, but planning is underway.
Contact Kimberly De La Cruz at kdelacruz@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5244. Find her on Twitter: @KimberlyinLV
