Grief and restoration: Finding the path to justice in Orlando

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http://peoplesworld.org/grief-and-restoration-finding-the-path-to-justice-in-orlando/

ORLANDO - The offices of the Metropolitan Business Association (MBA), Orlando's LGBT chamber of commerce, are a beehive of activity. Couriers come and go, only minutes apart, dropping off packets full of gift cards from local restaurants, cafés, and grocery stores. Individuals arrive, knocking on the door with envelopes bulging with more vouchers. Upon arriving, all say the same thing, "Hi, I'm looking for Chris."

The one they're all looking for is Chris Stephenson, a vice president at MBA, and one of the many community leaders who have stepped up in the wake of the Pulse massacre. When People's World arrived at MBA headquarters for an interview, Stephenson and other volunteers were in the midst of a three-hour blitz of gift card collection. Earlier in the day, a message had arrived from the FBI's Victim Assistance unit saying that food and grocery vouchers were an immediate need among Pulse survivors and the victims' families at local hospitals.

Stephenson swung into action, blasting off an email to his network of contacts and colleagues. The response was immediate. Our interview with him was repeatedly interrupted as more deliveries kept arriving. $300 of burrito cards. $60 of coffee and drink vouchers. The generosity didn't stop flowing. As Stephenson says, it's symbolic of the new sense of unity that has emerged in the wake of tragedy. "It shows that, as a city, Orlando is growing up."

Anything but subdued

The gift card drive is just the latest relief activity that Stephenson's been involved in this week. In the first hours after the shooting, he was initially just desperate for information. Albert Harris, Stephenson's business partner and a volunteer here, contacted him at around 2:30am saying he had just driven past Pulse and saw people running out and jumping over fences as the sound of gunfire filled the air.

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