TERROR IN AMERICA - Orlando Shooting

"LGBT, Latino community hit hard by massacre in Orlando" PBS NewsHour 6/12/2016

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SUMMARY:  Pres. Barack Obama said Sunday that he stands in support with the LGBT community after a gunman killed 50 people at a popular gay nightclub in Orlando.  Carlos Smith of Equality Rights, a group that advocates for LGBT rights, joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss what the attack means to the community.

HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):  President Obama noted that today's mass shooting is especially painful for gay and lesbian Americans as a club where they socialized in solidarity was the target.  To discuss what the Orlando mass shooting means for the LGBT community, I am joined by Carlos Smith from Equality Florida, a group that fights for LGBT rights.  Tell us a bit about the community that was affected today.

CARLOS SMITH, EQUALITY FLORIDA:  Sure.  Well, our entire community is devastated, and Equality Florida sends its thoughts and prayers to all of those who were affected by this tragedy.  This tragedy happened at a popular nightclub, Pulse Orlando, a gay nightclub.  It happened during LGBTQ Pride Month.  It happened at a time when the club was at maximum capacity.  So it's clear that the shooter had every intent of inflicting the maximum amount of violence and damage.

And I think what's really important to understand is that the LGBTQ community has gone to gay nightclubs like Pulse Orlando and places around the country for decades, since the days of Stonewall, as a place where people can be safe, as a place where people can with who they are and have a sense of community.

So we're devastated to see this type of violence.  But I think it's also important that people understand that the central Florida LGBTQ community is standing in solidarity also with the Muslim and Islamic community.  Both of our communities have been targets of violence, of hate and of discrimination.

HARI SREENIVASAN:  Is there a history of disproportionate discrimination or just any discrimination against the LGBT community in Florida, in central Florida?

CARLOS SMITH:  Well, what we've seen unfortunately in the last couple of years is there has been a rash of violence, particularly against transgender women of color.  There was a hate crime murder incident that happened actually recently in Florida that was devastating to the community that targeted a transgender black woman.

And what we're seeing now is that even in the year 2016, hate and bigotry still exists.  And we're doing what we can in our communities, at the local level, at the state level, at the national level, to eradicate all forms of hate and discrimination, and to make sure that we fight against all phobias.  Not just homophobia, not just transphobia, but also against Islamophobia.

"Orlando Sentinel editor on shooting:  ‘We joined that list'" PBS NewsHour 6/12/2016

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SUMMARY:  The attack that killed 50 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando was a devastating blow to the local community.  Managing Editor of the Orlando Sentinel joins Hari Sreenivasan via Skype to discuss the latest developments.

"Can the U.S. do more to prevent ISIS-inspired attacks?" PBS NewsHour 6/12/2016

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SUMMARY:  When a terror attack occurs in the U.S. -- often it can provoke a change in policy which may or may not be in the country's best interest.  Stephen Biddle of the Council of Foreign Affairs and Policy joins Hari Sreenivasan for some analysis on what policymakers can do to respond to these attacks.