Tens of thousands of people attend vigil in Orlando for Pulse victims

Mourners at a candlelight vigil Sunday night in Orlando for the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting.
(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

An estimated 50,000 people gathered Sunday in Orlando for a candlelight vigil honoring the 49 people killed last week at Pulse nightclub.

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The vigil was held at Lake Eola Park near downtown Orlando, and at one point, a rainbow appeared in the sky. Attendees chanted "One Orlando United" and "We Remember," and carried photos of the people who died in the mass shooting. "Wow, Orlando," Mayor Buddy Dyer said. "You're showing your love, your compassion, your unity."

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Before the vigil, a service was held at Cathedral Church of St. Luke, and the name and age of each victim was read aloud, followed by the tolling of the church bell. Steve Rader was at the vigil with his soon-to-be-husband, and he told the Orlando Sentinel he hoped the event would mark a turning point. "I think that it is time that we start shifting gears," he said. "Continue to remember, but hopefully this is the exclamation point of our sadness, and we can move on." Catherine Garcia

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.