MILWAUKEE -- Extra patrols were added both inside and outside PrideFest Sunday just to make sure the final day went off without a hitch.
“We’ve been on this property for 20 years and safety has always been our top priority,” Pride Executive Director Eric Heinritz said.
Walk through metal detectors were brought in and security was instructed to double-check all bags.
“As long as everyone is safe, I have no problems with them looking through my things,” Nicole Davis said. “I think everyone should feel the same way because it keeps everyone safe.”
Other people in attendance agree.
“I think it’s mandatory nowadays,” Kim Berry said.
As a precaution, Mayor Tom Barrett asked Milwaukee police to step up patrols on the festival grounds as soon as he heard about the mass shooting Sunday morning.
"My heart and prayers and sympathies of all Milwaukeeans go out to those people who lost their lives in Orlando,” Barrette said.
Barrett says what happened in Orlando re-enforces the need for state leaders to crack down on the types of assault weapons being sold.
"It demonstrates how a lone individual can really create a horrific situation if they have access to those weapons."
Meanwhile, members of Milwaukee’s Ahmadiyya Muslim Community are condemning the attack, saying it’s not representative of their religion.
“The actions of what this individual did this morning is nowhere close to what Islam teaches us,” Rizwan Ahmad said.
