(COLORADO SPRINGS) — More than a year has passed since the Club Q shooting devastated this community, yet survivors claim they’re still battling for the compensation promised by the club’s owner. In pursuit of accountability, victims are now calling on donors to request their money back from GoFundMe.

During the recent one-year remembrance ceremony held by Club Q, meant to honor the victims and their families, Club Q’s owner, Matthew Haynes, presented a united front, assuring support and outlining plans for moving forward. However, survivors contend this presentation sharply contrasts with the reality of the situation.

Following the November 2022 shooting, Haynes initiated an official GoFundMe campaign, “Ensuring Club Q staff and entertainers do not suffer financial hardship due to this horrific act.”

Hysteria Brooks, a former performer at Club Q, recalled a dinner they had shortly after the shooting, and the promises made by the owners.

“The owners of Club Q… swore up and down that he was going to make sure that all of our bills were going to be paid and that we were going to be taken care of during this time. And we all believed him,” said Brooks.

Screenshot of Club Q GoFundMe, November 2022, Courtesy: Hysteria Brooks

Screenshot of Club Q GoFundMe, November 2022, Courtesy: Hysteria Brooks

One year later, survivors say they have not received the compensation they were promised. The fundraiser that is still up to this day has amassed over $71,000, with individual donations soaring as high as $4,000. Yet, Brooks says victims have received substantially less than those donations, knowing some who have only received $300-$500.

“There was another family who was paying for funeral expenses months after, and they still might be because they were not getting any help,” said Ashtin Gamblin, a Club Q survivor who was shot nine times that night.

Brooks recounted the response received when he and other survivors raised concerns about the morality of their situation, claiming the owners told them, “We don’t pay for your trauma.”

Accusations have been levied against Haynes, saying he makes decisions based on profit rather than the community’s needs. Criticism and discomfort from survivors arose when Club Q began selling merchandise, such as t-shirts, fans, shot glasses, and pint glasses. Despite their requests against selling the Club Q merch, the owner persisted in doing so.

Disturbed by the thought of people raising a glass to the tragedy they experienced, among other reasons, many survivors didn’t show up to the one-year remembrance ceremony organized by Haynes.

“I didn’t see him do anything that showed that he was a part of this community other than stand behind a podium, smile at government officials, and tell them that they still needed money,” said Brooks.

Later in the afternoon, after the speeches from Haynes, and local and state leaders concluded, many of them showed up on the one-year for a ceremony of their own.

“And for me, the people that were there during that, that was community,” said Brooks.

In response to these allegations, Haynes stated these allegations were completely false and that Club Q has never collected “one penny” for the victims and always directed donations to the Colorado Healing Fund as their official fundraiser. However, victims argue that if this was the case, individuals should not have donated to the Club Q GoFundMe in the first place.

“You are not hurting survivors by asking for your money back from that GoFundMe because we didn’t see it anyway,” said Gamblin.

In the statement, Haynes clarified that the only funds Club Q has collected and distributed for employees was a payout based on three months’ average salary, and allocated the rest of the funds toward a permanent tribute and the club’s reopening. The GoFundMe description has been altered to reflect these intentions.

After a year, Gamblin says she is exhausted from speaking out about this but is afraid if she stops, the world will forget about her and the other survivors.

“The community needs to be asking questions to Club Q and the owners… and start demanding accountability for what’s happened,” said Gamblin.