Buffalo memorial ‘still traumatic’ honors mass shooting victims

Source: Kent Nishimura/Getty

Ohn Tuesday, Buffalo residents joined the city to honor the second anniversary of the tragic mass shooting at the Tops supermarket that claimed the lives of 10 innocent Black people.

The city of Buffalo honored the victims with a memorial sculpture located outside the Tops supermarket.

According to AP, the sculpture was created by Buffalo artist Valeria Cray and her son, Hiram Cray, as part of a 5/14 Tops honor space, which includes a small park-like space with benches, pillars and gardens. The space also includes a pear tree donated to Buffalo as part of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum’s Survivor Tree Seedling Program.

During the ceremony, residents immersed themselves in the park-like memorial, which for some brought back traumatic memories of that horrific day.

“It’s still so traumatic,” Buffalo resident Lisa Kragbe told AP as she rested on the park bench in Tops Honor Space during the ceremony.

On Monday, the city unveiled the final design for a larger, $5 million memorial, which will be offsite. The memorial, called “Seeing Us,” was designed by Jin Young Song and Douglass Alligood and will feature ten interconnected pillars, bearing the names of victims and survivors, each with a unique arch and height, covered in stone.

It will also include a large support building that will serve as a central hub for education, exhibits, community activities, gatherings and events, according to a press release from the governor’s office..

“As we approach the second solemn anniversary of the senseless slaughter of our neighbors solely because of the color of their skin, we recommit to supporting the East Buffalo community, remembering those we have lost and support those who have been injured,” the governor said. Hochul said in a press release. “Today’s unveiling of the final design chosen by the 5/14 Memorial Commission is the culmination of many meetings and conversations with the families of those affected as well as the community.”

Source: Kent Nishimura/Getty

On May 14, 2022, Payton Gendron drove hours from his hometown in upstate New York before using an assault rifle to kill 10 Black people and injure several others at Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo. Those killed ranged in age from 32 to 86 years old.

After his arrest, investigators found a manifesto left by Gendron that espoused a racist conspiracy theory that has become increasingly popular among far-right supporters, ultra-conservatives and mainstream Republicans. The so-called “white replacement theory” was mentioned in the manifesto.

Gendron pleaded guilty to 15 state charges, including 10 counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder and hate-motivated domestic terrorism, according to ABC News.

He was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

SEE ALSO:

Hate crimes targeting Black people still on the rise 2 years after the racist shooting in Buffalo

Emmett Till Bill: Black Leaders React to Passage of Anti-Lynching Law

37 photos