Orlando shooting survivor pens powerful open letter to gunman
<p>As the world continues to grapple with the Orlando shooting, the worst mass shooting in modern US history, a survivor has written a powerful open letter to the shooter.</p>
<p>Alejandro Francisco, 21, was at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, when Omar Mateen opened fire, killing 49 people and injuring more than 50 others.</p>
<p>"Saturday night was Latin night, and it was a party vibe because of the Puerto Rican Day Parade. It was a hot night, and the club was filled with life and love and dancing and — until you arrived — pure joy," wrote Francisco on XOJane.</p>
<p>"I’ve been going to the club for a few years now, and it’s a wonderful place to let loose and really be yourself in Orlando.”</p>
<p>Francisco and his friends narrowly escaped the attack, leaving the club moments before the gunshots started. He mourned and grieved all the lives lost in the attack, labelling Mateen's actions as "the worst attack – on love – on U.S. soil."</p>
<p>“These men and women were strangers to you. All of them had one precious gift, one saving grace that you could never, ever have. That much is clear. I know you had a child and a wife and a father and a mother, but you did not have what they had. You never could have. What happened never could have happened if you did," he wrote.</p>
<p>The letter continues: “But Omar, you failed. You tried to massacre the very one thing that you can never destroy in our community. Ever. You cannot take away our love. It is more powerful than anything else that exists in the world.</p>
<p>"Omar, we are stronger than your hate. We always will be."</p>
<p>Francisco then names all the victims of the shooting. Although they did not survive, Francisco says, “Love did. In fact, it just grew stronger.” </p>
<p><em>Read Francisco's full letter <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.xojane.com/issues/alejandro-francisco-orlando-pulse-survivor-story" target="_blank">here</a>.</strong></span></em></p>
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