Extra security to protect Colorado Springs PrideFest attendees

Hundreds are celebrating LGBTQ pride this weekend in Colorado Springs.
Some are still concerned after the deadly massacre at an Orlando nightclub last month.

It is a day to celebrate and enjoy community.

“I’m happy, I’m here! It’s awesome,” Delaney Sailer said. “I get to see all my friends I made last year and make new friends.”

“It’s a basic human right that we have fought for, for so, so long and we just got it,” said Jake Walker.

“We gather to show our love,” Kayla Adams said.

But many were afraid to be out today after the June 12 shooting of an Orlando gay nightclub where 49 people died and over 50 were injured.

“So many people lost there lives out there,” Adams said. “It’s kinda scary to think that at anytime someone could come in here and kill us all.”

The Colorado Springs Police Department added staffing today to ensure the safety of attendees.

“So we had some of the specialized units, we brought in some extra people,” said Sgt. Adam Romine. “Not necessarily they’re here all the time, we don’t want it to seem like it’s a police situation. But if we needed people quickly we could get them.”

Many attendees were thankful the police were there.

“It makes us feel more safe, more secure,” Walker said.

However, one man said he doesn’t support the extra police presence at Pridefest. He believes there are more important things to worry about.

“I understand that people are scared,” said Adison Quin Petti. “What about the communities of color that are being targeted at twice the rates as white people?”

But Walker believes, the police are key support.

“All this hate about police when they’re the first ones that showed to help is ludicrous,” Walker said.

As PrideFest, is about love.

“It’s a way for us to celebrate that we are who we are, we are human and we love who we love,” Walker said.

PrideFest continues Sunday with a parade through downtown. It kicks off at 11 am at Cimarron and Tejon streets.