WE ARE AGAINST TURNING A PUBLIC TRAGEDY INTO PRIVATE PROFITS
Pulse nightclub owner, Barbara Poma, refused to sell the property to the City of Orlando for a public memorial. Instead, she created the onePULSE Foundation and has taken an executive salary in her self-made position as CEO. Documents reveal that a $150,000.00 salary has been alotted for 2019. Perks have also included recognition, celebrity, political connections, and accolades as an LGBTQ+ ally.
WE ARE AGAINST TURNING A MASS SHOOTING INTO A TOURIST ATTRACTION
The onePULSE Foundation has received a $10 MILLION tourism development tax grant from Orange County for the building of a museum. The tax application shows how the proposed memorial/museum complex has been intended to increase tourism during the off-season. The corporate Board of Trustees also reflects the local tourism industry.
WE SUPPORT INVESTING IN THE CONTINUED CARE OF SURVIVORS
Money raised in the name of the mass shooting at Pulse is going to multi-million dollar buildings and scholarships rather than the continued care of the people who were directly affected. Available services and organizations have not provided adequate care to survivors and the onePULSE Foundation has not stepped in to fill any gaps; focusing instead on cultural programs, while ignoring the ongoing needs of survivors.
WE CALL OUT A CHANGING MISSION
For over two years, the onePULSE Foundation has raised funds in part of community grants for victims' families and survivors. In 2019, "community grants" were removed from the organization's mission. According to the released 2018 990s, only $1k was spent on community grants. Now, the onePULSE Foundation is only spending money on the memorial/museum complex. People have donated money thinking that they were helping survivors.
WE ACKNOWLEDGE CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
onePULSE Foundation CEO Barbara Poma is currently being sued by survivors and victims' families as part of a security negligence lawsuit. This lawsuit also alleges the illegal transfer of the Pulse nightclub property which was transferred via quit claim deed in the months after the shooting to two other LLCs owned by Barbara and Rosario Poma. Funds raised by the non-profit are being invested in the property that the Poma's still own.
WE AFFIRM A PUBLIC MEMORIAL PARK IS STILL POSSIBLE
Public memorial parks have been the overwhelming response to mass shootings around the country, including Aurora, Columbine, Las Vegas, and Newtown. Most have been built by volunteers, with no executive salaries. The OnePULSE Foundation's proposed museum attraction seeks to unnecessarily turn the shooting into a spectacle and requires merchandising the tragedy.