St. Paul, MN - National Co+op Grocers (NCG) is heartbroken by this weekend’s senseless violence that claimed the lives of five individuals and wounded dozens more at an LGBTQ nightclub, Club Q, in Colorado Springs, CO.
This shooting happened on the night before the Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to honor the transgender people killed by violence over the last year. While authorities are still investigating motive, we know that violence and threats of violence against the LGBTQ+ community have been increasing and are fueled by individuals and groups using their platforms to spread misinformation and false rhetoric against LGBTQIA+ people, youth and allies.
NCG condemns violence against the LGBTQIA+ community as well as anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric. No community should be targets of oppression and intolerance and no community should have places that are supposed to be safe spaces of acceptance turned into places of violence and fear.
NCG advocates concern for community as one of our core co-op principles. We believe we all have the capacity — and responsibility — to effect change.
If you’d like to support the needs of victims, families and community affected by the Club Q shooting, the Colorado Healing Fund is one organization accepting donations.
If you’d like to support organizations that support the LGBTQIA+ community, here are a couple to consider:
You can also find local organizations in your area.
About NCG
National Co+op Grocers (NCG), founded in 1999, is a business services cooperative for retail food co-ops located throughout the United States. NCG helps unify food co-ops in order to optimize operational and marketing resources, strengthen purchasing power, and ultimately offer more value to natural food co-op owners and shoppers everywhere. Our 151 member co-ops operate more than 200 storefronts in 38 states with combined annual sales of nearly $2.4 billion. NCG is a winner of the dotCoop Global Awards for Cooperative Excellence and a certified B Corp. Find map of NCG member co-ops. To learn more about co-ops, visit www.grocery.coop.
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Media inquiries may be directed to Eric Davis (edavis@curiousplot.agency, 612-424-7545).