A Mournful Pride

[Blue_In_AK]

Anchorage's Pridefest celebration yesterday began with a terrible tragedy. Please keep our GLBT community in your thoughts. We were only about a block away from this accident, and although we didn't see the actual event, we did see the halted parade, the CPR and the sheet-covered body in the street. What started out as a day of joy and celebration became a very somber event.

Blogger Melissa Green writes eloquently:

http://www.bentalaska.com/2011/06/a-mournful-pride/

A mournful Pride
Posted on Sunday, 26 June 2011 by Mel Green
by Mel Green


Just a few minutes after it began, Anchorage’s annual Pride parade ended in tragedy with the accidental death of James L. Crump, a registered nurse with the Anchorage Department of Health and Human Services and a loved member of the Anchorage LGBT community. James will be remembered at a Pride Ecumenical Service on Sunday, June 26 at 1:00 PM at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church at Lake Otis and Tudor.

In spite of grey skies, cool and windy weather, and the fear of rain, Anchorage’s Alaska Pride Fest began with excitement and anticipation this morning as the LGBT’s annual Pride parade participants assembled on D Street just south of 6th Avenue. A few blocks away on 6th Avenue across from F Street, in front of the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts (PAC), Daphne DoAll LaChores of Mad Myrna’s Friday Night Divas had already been greeting fans and admirers and warming up to emcee the parade for at least a half hour. I’d taken some photos of her around 10:30 on my way to D Street, where I took additional photos before the parade’s beginning, including this of the Grand Marshal’s car, which I learned from press accounts later was a 1971 Triumph Stag:

<snip>

I first became aware that some kind of problem was afoot when I saw three police cars with sirens coming down 6th Avenue past the Transit Center, just about when Christopher Constant came up from where the parade was held up to tell Daphne and me that the parade marshal’s car had struck and killed someone.

I think we went into some form of shock. But we also had questions. Daphne’s question: what to tell spectators? I didn’t know. My question: could Christopher possibly be wrong? Might the person hit by the car have only been injured — but still have survived? I went back — as a fire truck and other emergency vehicles arrived — to find a figure lying on the pavement covered in a white sheet; and I knew he’d been right.

<snip>

[xfundy]

1. My condolences. How awful.

[William769]

2. Such a tragedy.

:cry:

[roguevalley]

3. I drove past but didn't see it. I am sick about this, Blue. Hugs, honey.