Members of the Queens community spent Father's Day honoring the victims of the country's largest mass shooting. NY1's Shannan Ferry filed the following report.
A group of religious leaders and members of the Queens community sent a clear message on Sunday: that hate won’t be tolerated.
They held a memorial service at Richi Rich Palace on Atlantic Avenue in honor of the 49 people shot and killed in Orlando, Florida the week before.
"These were innocent people cut short in the prime of their lives for no reason," said Dr. Dhanpaul Narine, who is the President of the Shri Trimurti Bhavan Hindu Temple.
Narine helped organize the memorial service which was put on by the Interfaith Council for Community Development.
They wanted to stand in solidarity with the Orlando community after authorities say 29-year-old Omar Mateen opened fire at a gay nightclub.
It was the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history.
"We need togetherness to condemn something that's horrible, something that's inexcusable," said Ashook Ramsaran, who is the Executive Director for the Indian Diaspora Council.
According to the FBI, Mateen was inspired by extremist information primarily through the Internet, but was not part of any network and did not receive direction from outside the U.S.
"Those who commit in the name of Islam, they are not Muslims, they are not Muslims, we are all the creations of god," said Kamal Bhuiyan, a member of the Jamaica Muslim Center.
Some community leaders also called for gun reform. Many of them believe with stricter gun laws, fewer tragedies like the Orlando shooting will happen again.
Especially, with these big guns, that that you don't have to load and you can kill so many people, they should try to get it off the streets," said Mohammad Salim, a South Ozone Park Resident.
The group hoped to set a positive and peaceful example for younger generations by standing together.