Nearly two months after the deadly mass shooting that took place at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, in which 49 people were murdered, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer announced that the municipality wishes to buy the club and turn it into a permanent memorial.
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There has been much speculation over whether the site of one of the deadliest mass shootings in America should be a memorial to those killed on morning of June 12.
Mayor Buddy Dyer mentioned the city’s interest in an interview with WFME radio that aired Wednesday.
After preserving the site, the mayor said that the city would “then make some determination, with a lot of input, on what a permanent memorial might look like”.
Dyer also said he’d like to see the club remain unchanged for a time, possibly a year, so that people who want to visit Pulse can see the club as it now exists. “People are traveling from all over the country, really all over the world”.
On Wednesday, Dyer toured the Pulse site with Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, who is now visiting Orlando with his husband.
Dyer said that, while the planning process moves forward, he believes the building should not be torn down, the site should be surrounded by “adequate fencing”, and the city should keep the space where people have left flowers, candles and other mementos clean.
The OnePulse Foundation has said it wants to create a memorial on the site.
Now, there’s been some confusion in recent days as to if and when Pulse will reopen as a memorial.
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A Pulse spokesperson told the Orlando Sentinel the club’s owner had recently met with city officials about the idea but talks are still “very preliminary”.
