BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) Buffalo has had its share of challenges between last year's and this year's observance of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
A horrific racially motivated mass shooting at Tops Market on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo which killed ten people and injured three on May 14th of 2022.
More recently, the community witnessed the medical emergency for Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin, who suffered cardiac arrest on the field during the January 2nd Bills game in Cincinnati.
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Buffalo Pastor Rev. Kinzer Pointer of Liberty Missionary Baptist Church tells WBEN, the Hamlin situation points directly to the work of Dr. Martin Luther King. "King said darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Pointer said the community's immediate response and Hamlin's response have been critically important.
"I commend Damar for the way in which he is continuously saying I love you. We don't do that enough and we should because we share this planet together and the only way to do that is to acknowledge and love each other,"
he said.
Regarding the healing since the Tops shooting, Pointer said the community is still grieving and suffering.
"It was the most horrific thing that any of us can remember. As I talk to people, it is still very poignant in their minds and psyches. The pastor said it's still very important to continue to have conversations, to continue to learn and embrace each other, and to recognize that healing takes time and doesn't happen instantaneously."
Have people had the time to come to grips with the tragedy at Tops? As things quiet down, we often move onto the next challenge, such as two recent significant snow storms.
Those recent events have pointed out just how valuable life is, said the pastor. "You're right, it's been one thing after another. But life is that way," he said. "Life doesn't let you stop to grieve over the difficulties that life presents. And it doesn't allow you to grieve when someone intentionally injures you. You carry it with every breath. But the good thing is that we've been able to do this as a community."
As King Day approaches each year, Rev. Pointer said it has never been difficult to remind people of the significance of Dr. Martin Luther King. "Following the horrific circumstance that we lived through last May, I think people are more keenly aware of why it's important to lift up the life and work of Martin Luther King, Junior.