(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Nearly one year after a deadly attack at Club Q in Colorado Springs, survivors continue to heal and push forward as Mayor Yemi Mobolade says progress is being made.
As the community remembers the five lives lost, Ashley Paugh (She/Her), Raymond Green Vance (He/Him), Kelly Loving (She/Her), Daniel Aston (He/Him), and Derrick Rump (He/Him), the mayor is offering hope after tragedy.
Mayor Mobolade and a survivor spoke with FOX21 and agreed that while the tragedy left its mark on the city, it shouldn’t keep the community from growing together.
“Club Q I think was a wakeup call to the local people who’ve lived here for decades,” said Michael Anderson, Vice President of Operations and former bartender at Club Q. “I think back to stories of when Club Q started, there was active opposition to a space like that opening. I hope that what happened at Club Q doesn’t necessarily, you know, we don’t all need to agree, but I think we all deserve to live free of violence and hatred and essentially acts of terrorism for just existing.”
Anderson has spent the past year in Washington, D.C. calling for a ban on assault weapons.
“Thoughts and prayers are often offered to people who go through something like this,” Anderson said. “What we need is policy change moving forward.”
Something Mayor Mobolade said starts with making sure people feel safe.
“That’s the first thing I got to take care of before any kind of political steps,” Mayor Mobolade explained. “I need to get my job done and that’s why I’m relentless and focused on including all the other types of public safety services that we can provide around behavioral health care and mental health care.”
Following the shooting, Colorado Springs elected its first black and immigrant mayor, a vote that Anderson said shows the inclusivity within Colorado Springs.
“Mayor Mobolade being an independent, I think is a wonderful bridge to the very conservative side of Colorado Springs, but also to the community like ours, the LGBTQ community.”
Putting a focus also on minority communities, Mayor Mobolade’s impact is already making a difference. The Mayor cites a 2023 Human Rights Campaign equality index score that shows Colorado Springs improved from a ranking of 61 in 2021 to a score of 81.
“They are scoring you on what have you done, what has your city done,” Mayor Mobolade explained. “One of the most intriguing scores was given to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD).”
CSPD hired a liaison whose sole purpose is to engage with the LGBTQ community.
“You see the impact of that work when a year ago CSPD Chief Adrian Vasquez came out and honored the lives lost and used their pronouns, I mean that was really powerful.”
Mayor Mobolade says its moments like this that show Colorado Springs is making progress.
“We’re saying, what can we do? What have we learned and how can we be better?” Mayor Mobolade said. “We must be better.”
Steps are already being taken to move forward as The Q is scheduled to open late December at the Satellite Hotel in Colorado Springs, and will be managed and operated by survivors of the Nov. 19 shooting.
