Twin Cities Pride, LGBTQ Clubs Increasing Security

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- After a mass shooting at an LGBTQ club in Orlando Sunday, similar establishments in Minneapolis are reconsidering their security plans.

The party was at full tilt at Saloon Sunday when they found out what was happening at a similar club in Orlando.

"I just sat in the middle of the disco for a minute and just thought about, 'What if that was here?' and tried to comprehend just what they went through that night," Balfanz said.

Balfanz said he knows it would be hard to stop something like the shooting in Orlando. He said they have a strong security team but try to draw a line.

"We have no metal detectors, we don't do pat-downs. I wouldn't want anyone coming here to feel like they're coming into an airport," he said.

Balfanz also said he's already getting backup from the Minneapolis Police Department.

"They've been really supportive. There were a number of police driving by all night long. They stopped a couple of times," Balfanz said.

Officers also met with eagleBOLT bar. Their manager said they're re-evaluating their security plan.

At nearby Gay 90's, a manager says they do pat-downs and after Orlando will consider using metal detecting wands.

Security plans will also be changing for Twin Cities Pride at Loring Park in two weeks.

Pride 2015 was a record breaker. A half a million people flooded the streets of Minneapolis and the nearby bars.

"Pride is the biggest time of the year, yeah. It's our busiest weekend of the year," said Balfanz.

It's an event about coming and being out. This year it has some people wondering if they should stay home.

"I feel like it's going to be unsafe 'cause anybody could just come out from anywhere and start killing people randomly for no reason. It really does make me nervous," Larry Carson of Minneapolis said.

"This is going to actually change a lot of things I think. I'm worried about Pride coming up," said James Parmenter of west St. Paul.

Things will be different this year, according to Executive Director Dot Belstler. Typically, she says they have security that's mostly hidden.

"People who attend Pride don't really see that," Belstler said. "We do a lot of behind the scenes work. We're probably going to put more in front of the scenes security."

That means officers will be more visibly placed and dressed.

"We don't want it to be a sea of blue, however we might have to make some compromises in that this year," Belstler said.

Different than other years, but organizers say it's still a day to be proud of.

Pride organizers will meet Tuesday night with Park and Minneapolis police to come up with a more solid security plan.