Minnesotans Honor Victims Of Orlando Nightclub Shooting

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- At eagleBOLT, a gay bar in downtown Minneapolis, the weekend liveliness was subdued. James Parmenter from West St. Paul was there with friends.

"We had plans for brunch, having a good time, trying to play pool and it's cast a heavy pall on the whole situation," Parmenter said.

Parmenter tried to make the best of day that's one of this country's worst.

"I want us to be happy and to be proud of who we are, I don't want to be scared," he said.

A few miles down the road, the Twins game also started with a heavy tone. Fans there to watch America's favorite pastime also saw a time of reflection.

A similar scene at Golden Valley's first ever Pride Festival as the day's program started in silence. One festival-goer who's a pastor, Dewayne Davis of All God's Children Metropolitan Church, adjusted his Sunday morning sermon.

"We have a resiliency and that no matter what happens, we are not going to go back into closets, we're not going to hide away," Davis said. "That's why I have on my shirt this morning and I said I was going to wear it all this day to affirm in solidarity with those people who lost their lives and their families."

Empathy for Florida from far away because it feels so close.

"We are not forsaken," said Davis, "we're not driven to despair and we are not destroyed."