MGM has donated two acres for a permanent memorial in honor of the victims of the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting.
MGM Resort International Donates 2 Acres for a Memorial
On Monday, Clark County officials announced that MGM Resort International has donated two acres of privately owned land for a permanent memorial honoring the victims and survivors of the Las Vegas mass shooting that occurred from the Mandalay Bay in 2017.
In a statement, MGM stated that having a permanent memorial for the victims and heroes of the unprovoked attack on October 1, 2017, is vital for the continuous healing of the community. The company is honored to donate a portion of the site to help commemorate the victims. MGM also aims to support the committee with planning the memorial.
Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson said, “They’re a part of this community. I think it demonstrates as much as anything does that their heart is where it ought to be as we work on this.”
Memorial to Pay Homage to Victims and Families
The announcement came during a news conference for launching a survey asking about artistic and educational features for the permanent memorial. The questionnaire follows a previous survey from March and will be available on Clark Country’s website homepage until August 15.
The first survey showed that the majority (about 65%) wants the memorial to be at the site of the shooting. Less than one in five people want the memorial to be at the festival grounds. More than one in four reported they have PTSD from the shooting or have lost a friend or a member of their extended family in the attack. The participants in the initial survey totaled 6,066 people, according to UNLV’s Cannon Survey Center, responsible for handling the data from the surveys. The data from the survey would help the October 1 Memorial Committee to recommend a permanent memorial. It would then go for approval to the Clark County Commission.
The director of the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center and committee chairwoman, Tennille Pereira, said that the survey would help the committee decide where the memorial should be. She said that the committee wants a lasting memorial and needs input from those who suffered or were affected. The committee encourages survivors of the incident or those indirectly or directly affected by it to participate in the questionnaire.
October 1 Mass Shooting in Las Vegas Took the Lives of 60 People
On October 1, 2017, Stephen Paddock started shooting from his Mandalay Bay suite toward the crowd across the street at the Route 91 Harvest music festival. He killed fifty-eight people and injured hundreds more before taking his own life. Two of the injured survivors died after that, making the total number of victims 60. In 2020, a Nevada court approved settlement of $800 million for the victims of the shooting.
MGM Resorts operates Mandalay Bay and it has donated its northeast corner to the Las Vegas Village festival venue. The site will soon include a sign to inform the public of the coming memorial.