(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A gay nightclub in Colorado Springs is ready to show its plans to build a permanent tribute in honor of those killed and injured during a mass shooting that occurred on Nov. 19, 2022.
Co-owner of Club Q, Matthew Haynes, along with his executive team have been working for the past five months since the tragedy to commemorate victims and support their families.
The tribute will feature five twelve-foot pillars to represent the five who were killed. Their names will be engraved to cement what they were and who they were, according to Haynes.
In the same garden as the pillars will be 17 locally sourced boulders for each person that was injured by gunfire. Between the pillars will be thousands of colorful mosaics to pay tribute to those who have been impacted by the tragedy.
A 40-foot flag pole will proudly display the Progress Pride Flag, which will be visible from the main roads, stated Haynes. The flag pole will include a spotlight that shines up into the sky to ensure the tribute is visible both day and night.
Bench seating will be available inside the tribute for quiet reflection, grieving, remembering and recognition. A security wall will be built around the tribute and in front of the Club to provide protection and privacy while visiting the area.
“It was a really difficult decision what to do at Club Q, especially those first few days after the shooting,” said Haynes.
The co-owner of Club Q said it took about ten days to realize the Club had to come back and needed to be rebuilt for a grieving community.
We received tens of thousands of emails and thousands and thousands of letters and cards and and support from all around the country. And the most important thing that just kept coming back and back was that hate cannot win. We cannot let an individual full of hate and rage come in and destroy something that has been so lovely for the last 20 years.
Club Q Founding Owner Matthew Haynes
Haynes said, “It doesn’t matter if you’re coming to Club Q or not. It’s a place to reflect and remember forever.”
More importantly, the tribute will be a place to memorialize what happens when a community comes together, Haynes added.
