On Friday, a vigil was held at the Castro's Jane Warner Plaza in remembrance of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida that left 49 people dead a decade ago. The annual gathering took on extra weight for some this year as people gathered to mark the tenth anniversary of the tragedy.

As KRON4 reports, the event took place in its usual setting, in Jane Warner Plaza. It was there that community members came together to pay respect to the 49 people killed and dozens injured in a mass shooting at the Orlando nightclub Pulse during a Pride event on June 12, 2016. Following the vigil, the group then marched down Castro Street carrying signs that read "Remember the 49."

Former Orlando resident and current San Franciscan Christopher Vasquez served as one of the vigil's featured speakers, telling KRON4 that while he wasn't in town when the shooting took place, he saw Pulse as "a new, safe space for us to come dance and just have a great time." Vasquez also recalled first learning about the shooting as akin to feeling like "a piece of my soul was taken from me."

"It lives with me to this day, 10 years later,” he added. "But truly, Pulse was a reminder that we have so much further to go because our physical safety is always under attack.”

Similar sentiments were shared by Castro LGBTQ Cultural District program manager Stephen Torres, who told KRON 4 that the vigil offers an important, if solemn reminder that celebration is often birthed from pain and struggle.

“Our pride, our joy, our celebration is born out of hard-fought strife and pain, and unfortunately, Pulse is part of that,” said Torres.

Related: SF To Honor Victims Of Orlando Shooting In Castro Vigil Sunday Night

Image: The Castro's iconic gay Pride flag at half-mast on June 12, 2016 to honor the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting. Photo: Brock Keeling

This post has been corrected to show that the annual memorial takes place at Jane Warner Plaza, not outside the Castro Theatre.