Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown announced on Tuesday the remembrance events set to take place this weekend as part of "5/14 Remembrance Weekend: Reflection, Healing and Hope" in the City of Buffalo.
"In just a few days, we will reach the somber one-year anniversary of the racially motivated mass shooting at Tops on Jefferson Avenue. 10 precious lives were taken in this act of domestic terrorism by a white supremacist," said Mayor Brown as part of his announcement on Tuesday. "In the months and weeks since the mass shooting, Buffalonians lifted each other up, and supported each other in our grief. The acts of kindness and the acts of helping, in many ways, were amazing, and have become a national model for resilience, the way the community came together here in Buffalo."
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The weekend of events starts Friday at 9 a.m. ET with a panel discussion called "Beyond Hate" taking place at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center on Carlton Street in Buffalo's Medical Campus. This will feature a number of prominent speakers on the panel, including New York Times Bestselling author, professor and anti-racism activist Dr. Ibram Kendi.
Tickets are free for the panel discussion, but you will need to reserve your seat for the event here:
Then on Saturday, there will be a Community Gathering for Reflection, Healing and Hope at the Johnnie B. Wiley Sports Pavilion on Jefferson Avenue, starting at 12 p.m. ET. This event will feature prayer, community resources, expressionists, food, vendors and more for four hours in East Buffalo.
Sunday will mark one year since the 5/14 shooting at the Tops Friendly Market on Jefferson Avenue, and the City of Buffalo will be hosting a Moment of Remembrance starting at 2 p.m. ET at the supermarket on Jefferson Avenue. The ceremony will be led by Mayor Brown, and will be followed by church bells chiming at 2:28 p.m. ET, the moment of the day when the shooting took place.
Out of respect for the families on Sunday, the Tops on Jefferson Avenue will not be open.
Finally on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET, there will be a Memorial Service for Healing and Hope at the Elim Christian Fellowship at 70 Chalmers Avenue in the city. This memorial church service will feature Rev. Dr. Jamal Harrison Bryant, pastor of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.
"All of the events for the remembrance weekend have been designed in such a way that all members of the community that would like to participate, that would like to be there, can be there," Mayor Brown said. "We want to offer the community flexibility. Some might attend all of the events, some might attend one event. Some might just want to quietly remember and reflect at home by themselves or with their families, and we understand that."
Mayor Brown adds the City of Buffalo knows people are still in various stages of healing from the racially motivated mass shooting on May 14, 2022, and these events have been done in a way that is mindful of that.
"We want the community to know that they are not forgotten. What happened here is not forgotten at any level," Mayor Brown said. "In fact, I've had the opportunity to be with President Biden and Vice President Harris several times, they have continued to talk about what happened here in Buffalo. In fact, Vice President Kamala Harris has taped a special message for the K through 12 activities, so we thank them for that. We also want the community to know we have to continue to hold together, to lift each other up."
Mayor Brown says there are still a lot of resources that will be coming to the community from the city government, the state government, the federal government and more. He says the community wants to make sure that money is used wisely and strategically, and put to use in order to improve the lives of people living in East Buffalo, and to improve Black and Brown lives.
"Then there are larger messages that are important to the families of those whose lives were taken. Ending White supremacy, ending different forms of hate which was central to what happened here in Buffalo - racial hatred - social media being reined in so people can't be radicalized or messages of hate can't be spread on social media, and also sensible gun reform," Mayor Brown pointed out. "Already, sadly, in our country, there have been more than 200 mass shootings. It seems like they're occurring almost every day now. There have been more mass shootings this year than there are days in the year. This problem isn't getting better, it's getting worse. So these are some of the things that we want to come out of this weekend."
There's also been input from the families of those who lost their lives in the May 14 attack. Mayor Brown says the city has listened to them, and designed activities and events in such a way that observe the sensitivity of how the families are feeling.
More from Tuesday's press conference with Mayor Brown is available in the player below: