A group of survivors from the deadly 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida are protesting the creation of a museum and memorial for the tragedy ? which firms including Studio Libeskind and Diller Scofidio + Renfro are vying to build.
The group, called Community Coalition Against a Pulse Museum, formed last month to demand the project be cancelled and that funds be given to help those suffering instead. Members of the group include survivors, victims' families and activists.
"We humbly ask the public, as well as all private and corporate donors, to give their money to organisations that provide lifetime care to survivors and not towards the expensive museum project, which is expected to cost $40 million (£32.7 million) to build and $7.2 million (£5.9 million) to run annually," the group said. The shooting took place at Pulse nightclub, which was popular among the LGBT+ community, on 12 June 2016. Omar Mateen opened fire, killing 49 and injuring 68.
Memorial and museum to be built at Pulse
Nightclub founder Barbara Poma formed non-profit One Pulse following the mass-shooting to raise funds for a permanent memorial and accompanying museum on the site of the club, at 1912 S Orange Avenue. High-profile architecture firms including Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Daniel Libeskind's firm Studio Libeskind and MVRDV are currently in the running to design the project.
Protestors have taken issue with the notion of a paid-for museum dedicated to such an event. "...