Amid sadness, hustle is steady on Vegas Strip
There’s no time out to grieve for some denizens of Sin City
It was 24 hours after the worst shooting rampage in modern U.S. history, and on the iconic Strip, promoters hawked 2for-1 strip club deals, tourists took selfies, and police cracked down on misbehavior.
“Do you know how disrespectful it is to come out here and deal drugs the day after 50 people died one block away?’’ a bike cop snapped at a man in handcuffs Monday night. “Can’t you take one day off?’’
It was business as usual in some places — and anything but nearby — as this hard-partying city responded to tragedy.
Derek Koerner, who identified himself as a licensed club promoter, said he was encouraged by the sizable crowds — and particularly grateful for the SUV full of men interested in his 2-for-1 deals on strip clubs. (Pay a $40 cover for a two-drink minimum and get into the second strip club for free.)
“There’s more people out here than I thought there’d be,’’ said Koerner, 48. “People seem to be upbeat and have a good energy. People seem to be moving on with their lives.’’
Less than a mile away, the mood was different. Dozens of people, some arriving with candles and flowers, returned to the scene of the horrific crime marked by yellow police tape.
Sunday night, a gunman police identified as Stephen Paddock was positioned on the 32nd-floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino when he fired hundreds of rounds of ammunition on concertgoers enjoying the music of country star Jason Aldean.
About 24 hours later, Herman Gold and his ex-wife, Sara, stood near the concert grounds and explained how they escaped the hail of bullets and why they came back.
“I just want closure,’’ Herman Gold said.
Nearby, Maria Garcia stood with her three sons and said she came to pay respects to the dead. Garcia, 54, who works as a housekeeper on the 43rd floor of Caesars Palace, said she enjoys watching the happy people below.
Monday, she said in Spanish, the smiling faces were missing. “Today was a sad day,” Garcia said through her son Jose. “Everything was sad.’’
Joe Larsen, standing at the same corner and wearing a VIP wristband from the Aldean concert, expressed gratitude.
Larsen, 49, who flew in from New Jersey for the concert, said he watched the World Trade Center’s twin towers fall in 2001, lost his wife to cancer in 2015 and Sunday night feared he was about to leave his son and daughter without a parent.
He said he saw a young woman die from a bullet to the head before he called his father during the bedlam.
“I told him, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to make it. Tell my kids to live a good life’ ” Larsen recalled.
As he and others shared their stories and wiped away tears, police officers closely monitored pedestrians, especially the wayward ones.
“Sir, get out of the street,” one officer barked. “It’s the last time I’m telling you.’’
So it went: the tourists taking their selfies in front of landmarks such as the replica Statue of Liberty, the club promoters offering 2-for-1 deals, the bike cops cracking down on alleged drug dealers, the steady arrival of mourners.
A young woman carried a handmade sign in a city clearly doing its best to cope with an unthinkable tragedy.
“Pray for Vegas,’’ the sign read.