"Even if it’s an accident, just the loss of a life. and this has really rattled a lot of people," said Rolli. "The reason people like Wilton manors is the whole community is one big family and that’s how we treat each other. "May the memory of the life lost be for a blessing."Ī spokesman for the chorus said the director did not want to give interviews, adding that many members of the small group witnessed the fatal crash and were deeply shaken. "I am so heartbroken by what took place at this celebration," she said. In a statement Saturday night, Wasserman Schultz said she was safe but "deeply shaken and devastated that a life was lost." Debbie Wasserman Schultz in tears while in a convertible at the parade. Photos and video from the scene showed Democratic U.S. Wilton Manors is a tight-knit community near Fort Lauderdale with a vibrant downtown filled with cute shops, where people line up for Rosie’s famous hamburgers or to gossip and drink at Georgie’s Alibi Monkey Bar. Trantalis initially told reporters the act was deliberate, adding to the confusion Saturday night. "I was getting phone calls from people I knew at the other end waiting for the parade saying, ‘Is this true? Is that true, do we have anything to worry about?’ You don’t know at that point."
"People were really distraught and some people were crying," said Rolli, who explained that the crash happened in an area where the floats were lining up, so there weren’t as many parade-goers. In the confusion, it was unclear what happened. Rolli was on the other side of the float and didn’t witness the crash, but jumped off immediately and ran to the victims.
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Trantalis said the driver of a pickup truck suddenly accelerated when he was told he was next in the parade, crashing into the victims. Rolli was on the float in front of the chorus truck along with Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis and other city officials. To my knowledge, this was not an attack on the LGBTQ community," President Justin Knight said in a statement Sunday, calling it "an unfortunate accident." "Our fellow Chorus members were those injured and the driver is also a part of the Chorus family. Stonewall Pride Parade and Street Festival is On for 2021 To commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots, the City of Wilton Manors, Florida will host its 2022 Stonewall Pride event on Saturday, June 18, 2022. The driver and the victims were a part of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus family, a small 25-member group of mostly older men.
"The early investigation now indicates it looks like it was a tragic accident, but nobody’s saying finally what it is," Rolli told The Associated Press in a phone interview.įort Lauderdale Police Detective Ali Adamson told reporters that authorities were investigating all possibilities from the collision. Every June, the LGBTQ+ community and allies celebrate what has become