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'We Didn't Want You To Feel Alone': NPR's Ari Shapiro Recalls Time In Orlando

A makeshift memorial for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting near Orlando Regional Medical Center on June 14 in Florida.
Drew Angerer
/
Getty Images
A makeshift memorial for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting near Orlando Regional Medical Center on June 14 in Florida.

While covering the aftermath of the shooting at Pulse in Orlando, Fla., NPR's Ari Shapiro realized he had gone to the nightclub more than a decade ago.

"We saw you there by yourself and wanted to make sure you were, you know, part of the group," recalls Nathan Jokers, a former Pulse bartender. "We didn't want you to feel alone."

You can listen to their conversation at the audio link above.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Ari Shapiro has been one of the hosts of All Things Considered, NPR's award-winning afternoon newsmagazine, since 2015. During his first two years on the program, listenership to All Things Considered grew at an unprecedented rate, with more people tuning in during a typical quarter-hour than any other program on the radio.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.