Stonewall Inn vigil for Orlando victims

NEW YORK (AP/FOX5NY.COM) - Thousands of people gathered outside New York's historic Stonewall Inn Monday evening for a vigil in honor of the victims of the gay nightclub massacre in Orlando. Stonewall is an icon of the gay rights movement.

A police counterterrorism unit stood watch for safety at the event outside the Greenwich Village tavern, which President Barack Obama has proposed to designate as the first national monument honoring the history of gays and lesbians in the United States.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio attended. They both spoke to the crowds of people who came to pay tribute to the victim's of the mass shooting and terror attack.

People placed flowers, candles and notes on the sidewalk in front of the Stonewall Inn.