Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Three years ago Wednesday, the City of Buffalo was changed forever by a racially motivated mass shooting at the Tops Friendly Market on Jefferson Avenue in East Buffalo that killed 10 Black people and wounded three others.
The city remembered the victims of the Tops mass shooting with a pair of remembrance ceremonies on Wednesday, starting on the steps of Buffalo City Hall earlier in the afternoon.
"These were mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, caretakers, advocates, protectors and friends. Each of them carried a light that hate tried to extinguish, but that light lives on in us if we choose to carry it forward," said Common Council Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope during the ceremony.
Halton-Pope asks for this day to not just be marked by grief, but by resolve and as a day of action throughout the community.
"Let's fight for food insecurity with the same urgency that Pearl Young showed in her outreach ministry. Let us serve and protect our communities with the same courage of Officer Aaron Salter. Let's speak truth to power with the fire of Katherine Massey brought to her advocacy. And let's show up daily for our elders like Ruth Whitfield, who love and cared for her husband in his final years," said Halton-Pope.
A little later in the afternoon, a number of different dignitaries and other leaders in the East Buffalo community gathered at the 5/14 Honor Space outside the Tops along Jefferson Avenue for a ceremony around the exact time of day the attack was carried out.
"In the aftermath of one of Buffalo's darkest days, our community's response shows what it means to be from the 'City of Good Neighbors'. Instead of surrendering to fear or despair, the City of Buffalo fought back with love. We took care of each other and looked out for our neighbors. We mobilized companies, nonprofits and city resources to assist with immediate community needs. We assembled thousands of volunteers to champion this cause of healing and of hope," said John Persons, CEO of Northeast Grocery Inc., the parent company of Tops Friendly Markets. "Three years later, we come together once again, next to this Honor Space and up and down all of Jefferson Avenue, to fulfill our community's commitment, and to keep pursuing our shared cause. To honor those 10 beautiful lives, to show love and compassion to the families and friends, to be of service to our neighbors, and to never ever forget."
New York Attorney General Letitia James was among the dignitaries in attendance on Wednesday, and says despite the pain the community faced in light of such hatred, the Buffalo community did not allow it to tarnish its spirit or hollow out its collective soul.
"This community turned pain into purpose, and purpose into power," said James on Wednesday. "You have chosen to use that pain to create a pathway for greater understanding, for growth, for opportunity, and yes, for further investment. By keeping faith in one another, this community taught Buffalo and all of the nation an invaluable lesson that life may bring storms, but we can weather them with determination, courage and faith. Our history is filled with raging storms, but we continue to stand. Stand, Jefferson Avenue. Stand Buffalo strong."
New York Secretary of State, Walter Mosley, there on behalf of Gov. Kathy Hochul, says the Buffalo community has continually shown how to overcome the challenges it faced in light of the shooting.
"We are here to share the stories today, and pledge to keep the memories of the victims in our hearts and in our actions. Let us continue to support and uplift those who have been left behind, ensuring they feel seen, they feel heard, they feel cared for," said Mosley during Wednesday's ceremony. "In our collective healing, we honor their legacy by building a stronger and more loving community, and a more loving East Side of Buffalo."
Former Masten District Councilman Ulysses Wingo says while we continue to mourn those lost in the shooting three years ago, the community came through to rally and organize for the betterment of everyone in the City of Buffalo.
"We will keep rebuilding, even through tears. We will keep building, even through threats. We will keep building, even though we go through trials and tumultuous times. We will keep building, although we go through trouble. We will keep building, although we do it through pain and tears. We will keep building, although it may look like progress is not being made, we know that we will keep building because it's in our hearts to keep on building. Why? Because we are Buffalo Strong, and we are better together, because Buffalo sticks together. And we will stay together," Wingo said.
Celestine Chaney, Roberta Drury, Andre Mackniel, Katherine Massey, Margus Morrison, Heyward Patterson, Aaron Salter Jr., Geraldine Talley, Ruth Whitfield, and Pearl Young were killed in the shooting on May 14, 2022.