BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo's Allentown community continued to mourn the deaths of two pillars of their community Thursday.
Michael "Mickey" Harmon and Jordan Celotto were found beaten to death in their St. Louis Place Tuesday afternoon. A "person of interest" remained hospitalized at Erie County Medical Center. No charges have been filed, but authorities have repeatedly said there's no indication the person knew the victims or that this was a hate crime.
In the meantime, tributes were being planned in honor of the beloved couple, who were both artists and boosters of Buffalo.
Just before he died, Harmon was promoting a new event, Queertopia, a showcase of LGBTQ+ music and poetry, at Nietzsche's at 248 Allen Street on Saturday. Now, organizers have announced a new plan for the event.
"We’ve decided to suspend our scheduled programming and shift Queertopia into a night of remembrance and celebration of Mickey & Jordan," organizers announced on Facebook.
There will be no cover charge. Events are scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.
At The Good Stuff at 65 Allen Street, the gift shop that Harmon helped create in 2016, the store was closed Wednesday and Thursday. But co-owners said they would open their doors Friday at 5 p.m. to be a gathering place for people who knew and loved Harmon and Celotto. They said Harmon was instrumental in starting First Fridays on the first Friday of every month to bring people to the community.
I spoke to Yames Moffitt, Bobby Griffiths and Sarah Liddell on Thursday, they are all co-owners of The Good Stuff.
“It's really beautiful how the community has come together in such a tragic moment," said Moffitt.
“It means a lot; it's really helping people get through this," said Griffiths.
“It's incredible to see how many people that they touched," said Liddell.
The community has contributed thousands to GoFundMe campaigns set up to help cover funeral expenses for Harmon and Celotto.
If you'd like to donate, you can find the campaigns here and here.
