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Monday night’s Pulse Memorial gathering in Library Square Park was not only a moment for the Asbury Park community to remember the 49 individuals who lost their lives one year prior when 29-year-old Omar Mateen, a security guard armed with a SIG Sauer MCX semi-automatic rifle and a 9mm Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol attacked the over 325 people inside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, it was a mark of solidarity and a celebration for those lives through reflection and song.

“I’m tired being sad, I’m tired of being numb,” said Sal Susino [above left] of the NJ Leather Family. “We did that moment of silence, which is important, we need to remember every single one of these names, that’s where we draw our strength. But at the same time we need make some noise for the people who survived, for yourselves and that we are not going to let this happen again.”

With that, Susino prompted the crowd in a chant of “This is what community looks like.”

Library Square Park is the site of the Orlando Memorial Grove, where 49 trees donated by Jacqueline Klosek of Sunshine Girl Charities were planted in September by the community in conjunction with Barlow’s Flower Farm and and Armstrong Tree Service.

Its memorial plaque reads: May love, tolerance and compassion bloom in this garden and spread throughout this community and our world.

Monday’s memorial gathering, organized by Hotel Tides manager Ryan Jimenez, drew a crowd of over 100 people.

“Today is a hard day, I’m sure for many people,” Jimenez [above left] said. “But, we have come together again to remember, to be strong and to support our brothers and sisters who survived and who are still alive.”

When the event concluded, Jimenez personally hugged and thanked each of the participants.

Among them was Garden State Equality Executive Director Christian Fuscarino who underlined the need to stand united.

“Our message needs to be clear to anyone who stands in our way,” Fuscarino said. “If they are not going to make room at their table for everyone, then they can’t be surprised when we come for their chair as a community, as a united community.”

In an interview following the event, the 26-year-old area native shared his more personal reflections.

“I think historically gay establishments have had a lot of negative stereotypes around them when in reality they are safe havens for LGBT people, especially young people who are looking for a safe environment to find other people with similar experiences,” he said. “The LGBT night club was very much a part of fostering my early years as a young gay activist. After Orlando happened, standing on the steps of Paradise was the first vigil I attended. About 100 people gathered there. So, it was emotional for me to stand on the steps of a place that I had spent so many nights working to bring in an income as a young gay person.”

Other speakers included Luanne Peterpaul, Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn, and Environmental Shade and Tree Commission Chair Tom Pivinski, whose volunteer city ad hoc group maintains the park and the trees.

“The truth is none of our lives have been the same since this happened,” Pivinski said. “We are people who love one another, we are people who will never stop loving one another.”

“This past year has been rough,” Quinn said. “It’s been rough since June 12, it’s been rough since November. There’s been a few glimmers of hope along the way; one being Pride in Asbury Park being one of the biggest we have seen in years. Vendors up 140 percent, volunteers out in droves for that event. So there is some light at the end of what has been a hard, hard year.”

“This is a community, this is love, this is life,” Peterpaul said.

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