Our Statement on the Orlando Nightclub Shooting

The Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is shocked and dismayed by the horrific terror attack in Orlando this weekend.

We condemn this terrible act of violence, and we mourn for the victims who lost their lives to a senseless crime. We stand with the friends and families of the injured in wishing for their full and speedy recovery.

As we wait for the results of a complete investigation of the gunman and his motives, we are repulsed by politicians already seizing on this tragedy to win political points by condemning an entire religion to be ‘banned’ from the United States. The LGBTQ community has been forced to endure unspeakable hate crimes in its history, and it has survived each time stronger and more united in tolerance and love. LGBTQ people will not be used now as a pretext to fan the flames of Islamophobia.

The Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights will continue to fight against bigotry and bias-motivated violence through our Hate Crime Project, which provides free legal representation to victims of hate crime in criminal prosecutions of offenders and in civil suits. We look forward to engaging with a renewed national conversation on gun violence and sensible gun laws to advance a saner and safer society for all Americans.