WEBVTT NOTE duration:"00:02:33.0530000" NOTE recognizability:0.882 NOTE language:en-us NOTE Confidence: 0.86655605 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.115 And the lounge was a gay bar and the NOTE Confidence: 0.86655605 00:00:02.115 --> 00:00:03.540 City Council formally apologized NOTE Confidence: 0.86655605 00:00:03.540 --> 00:00:05.796 for its response to the attack. NOTE Confidence: 0.86655605 00:00:05.800 --> 00:00:07.390 Lily Cummings was at the council NOTE Confidence: 0.86655605 00:00:07.390 --> 00:00:09.340 meeting today for the emotional moment. NOTE Confidence: 0.89144844 00:00:10.860 --> 00:00:12.904 It's been 49 years since a man NOTE Confidence: 0.89144844 00:00:12.904 --> 00:00:15.239 set fire to the upstairs lounge. NOTE Confidence: 0.89144844 00:00:15.240 --> 00:00:17.599 An important part of the LGBT community. NOTE Confidence: 0.89144844 00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:20.296 In 1970s, New Orleans fire broke out in NOTE Confidence: 0.89144844 00:00:20.300 --> 00:00:22.316 the second floor bar last night, NOTE Confidence: 0.89144844 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:24.336 killing 29 people and injuring 15. NOTE Confidence: 0.89144844 00:00:24.340 --> 00:00:25.688 The death toll would NOTE Confidence: 0.89144844 00:00:25.690 --> 00:00:28.049 climb to 32. Those who escaped reported NOTE Confidence: 0.89144844 00:00:28.050 --> 00:00:30.072 smelling gasoline before the room was NOTE Confidence: 0.89144844 00:00:30.072 --> 00:00:32.090 engulfed. With blamed, you can still NOTE Confidence: 0.89144844 00:00:32.090 --> 00:00:33.438 find the building today NOTE Confidence: 0.89144844 00:00:33.438 --> 00:00:34.786 in the French Quarter, NOTE Confidence: 0.89144844 00:00:34.790 --> 00:00:37.149 but what hasn't been seen is justice. NOTE Confidence: 0.89144844 00:00:37.150 --> 00:00:39.298 While the New Orleans City Council NOTE Confidence: 0.89144844 00:00:39.298 --> 00:00:41.100 admits their apology is late. NOTE Confidence: 0.89144844 00:00:41.100 --> 00:00:42.950 They hope it's a step NOTE Confidence: 0.9040606 00:00:42.950 --> 00:00:45.608 forward in a city that prides NOTE Confidence: 0.9040606 00:00:45.608 --> 00:00:48.297 itself upon being this haven of NOTE Confidence: 0.9040606 00:00:48.297 --> 00:00:50.787 acceptance in a state of hate. NOTE Confidence: 0.9040606 00:00:50.790 --> 00:00:52.836 We have to acknowledge that we NOTE Confidence: 0.9040606 00:00:52.836 --> 00:00:55.520 were also a place of hate. The only NOTE Confidence: 0.85886973 00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:57.012 suspect was never arrested. NOTE Confidence: 0.85886973 00:00:57.012 --> 00:00:58.877 Witnesses say he had been NOTE Confidence: 0.85886973 00:00:58.877 --> 00:01:00.248 kicked out of the bar. NOTE Confidence: 0.85886973 00:01:00.250 --> 00:01:02.371 It was the aftermath and failure to NOTE Confidence: 0.85886973 00:01:02.371 --> 00:01:04.310 investigate that was later scrutinized. NOTE Confidence: 0.85886973 00:01:04.310 --> 00:01:06.155 Council member JP Morrell says NOTE Confidence: 0.85886973 00:01:06.155 --> 00:01:08.753 his office will now work with the NOTE Confidence: 0.85886973 00:01:08.753 --> 00:01:11.147 Council to remove some of the victims NOTE Confidence: 0.85886973 00:01:11.147 --> 00:01:13.436 from a mass grave and give them a NOTE Confidence: 0.85886973 00:01:13.440 --> 00:01:14.788 proper memorial in an NOTE Confidence: 0.85886973 00:01:14.788 --> 00:01:16.473 unmarked grave in this city. NOTE Confidence: 0.92765635 00:01:19.030 --> 00:01:23.194 It's really. I seldom say I'm NOTE Confidence: 0.92765635 00:01:23.194 --> 00:01:25.300 rendered speechless, but it renders me NOTE Confidence: 0.8834667 00:01:25.300 --> 00:01:27.155 speechless. Other council members were NOTE Confidence: 0.8834667 00:01:27.155 --> 00:01:29.388 moved to tears after hearing from NOTE Confidence: 0.8834667 00:01:29.388 --> 00:01:31.614 activists and witness who saw the tragedy NOTE Confidence: 0.8834667 00:01:31.620 --> 00:01:34.028 first hand. These 32 martyrs need to NOTE Confidence: 0.8834667 00:01:34.028 --> 00:01:36.877 continue to push us forward in our activism, NOTE Confidence: 0.8834667 00:01:36.880 --> 00:01:38.520 Council members say representatives NOTE Confidence: 0.8834667 00:01:38.520 --> 00:01:40.980 from the New Orleans Police Department NOTE Confidence: 0.8834667 00:01:41.037 --> 00:01:42.927 were there to recognize the role NOTE Confidence: 0.8834667 00:01:42.927 --> 00:01:44.566 the department played in the NOTE Confidence: 0.8834667 00:01:44.566 --> 00:01:46.456 investigation side by side giving a NOTE Confidence: 0.8834667 00:01:46.456 --> 00:01:48.463 framed apology to 1 victim sister. NOTE Confidence: 0.8834667 00:01:48.463 --> 00:01:50.920 Her statement was read before the council. NOTE Confidence: 0.878587328571429 00:01:50.920 --> 00:01:53.212 The awful. Things people shouted about NOTE Confidence: 0.878587328571429 00:01:53.212 --> 00:01:55.870 how he they deserve to die haunt us. NOTE Confidence: 0.878587328571429 00:01:55.870 --> 00:01:58.299 The investigation was not made a priority, NOTE Confidence: 0.878587328571429 00:01:58.300 --> 00:02:00.250 it was botched and the families NOTE Confidence: 0.878587328571429 00:02:00.250 --> 00:02:02.355 and friends never saw the arsonist NOTE Confidence: 0.878587328571429 00:02:02.355 --> 00:02:04.195 brought to justice with tears NOTE Confidence: 0.8777741 00:02:04.200 --> 00:02:06.601 in her eyes and love and longing NOTE Confidence: 0.8777741 00:02:06.601 --> 00:02:08.710 for her brother and her heart. NOTE Confidence: 0.8777741 00:02:08.710 --> 00:02:11.302 Rose Little got to see this small act NOTE Confidence: 0.8777741 00:02:11.302 --> 00:02:13.920 of justice almost half a century later. NOTE Confidence: 0.8777741 00:02:13.920 --> 00:02:15.996 Lily Cummings, Eyewitness News and a NOTE Confidence: 0.8777741 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:17.885 plaque honoring those killed was NOTE Confidence: 0.8777741 00:02:17.885 --> 00:02:19.770 installed outside the building on NOTE Confidence: 0.8777741 00:02:19.832 --> 00:02:21.716 the 30th anniversary of the fire. NOTE Confidence: 0.8777741 00:02:21.720 --> 00:02:23.886 It lists 29 names and three NOTE Confidence: 0.8777741 00:02:23.886 --> 00:02:24.969 unidentified white males. NOTE Confidence: 0.8777741 00:02:24.970 --> 00:02:27.136 One of those men, Larry Frost, NOTE Confidence: 0.8777741 00:02:27.140 --> 00:02:28.940 was finally identified in 2018. NOTE Confidence: 0.8777741 00:02:28.940 --> 00:02:30.968 The names of the two other NOTE Confidence: 0.8777741 00:02:30.968 --> 00:02:33.053 men are still a mystery.