Buffalo, NY (WBEN) The first of ten funerals following the Buffalo shooting massacre that occurred at the Tops Market on Jefferson Avenue begin Friday with the Rev. Al Sharpton delivering the eulogy.
Rev. Kinzer Pointer, a regular religious contributor for WBEN, won't be presiding over funerals for victims of the Buffalo shootings, but says the funerals are important to allow loved ones the chance to grieve in their own way. He says the city has changed forever.
Pointer says it's important to remember first and foremost, there is tremendous suffering. "We need to really make an effort to address that, to give people an opportunity to grieve and mourn, however they decide they want to grieve and mourn," says Pointer.
Pointer says funerals can be cathartic, saying it's the first signal this is very real. He adds it makes mourners ask questions. "Who am I going to be after this? Because that's a critically important question that we all ask, and we don't even realize we're asking ourselves that question," says Pointer. He says the funeral of forces that self-conversation.
Pointer believes funerals won't be enough to help the community heal. He says a public memorial will also be necessary. "A reflection service where people actually can think about, again, who are we now who are we as a community, because we're changed forever," says Pointer. He says the event has been classified in the national media as the Buffalo Massacre. He believes the last time the city of Buffalo experienced anything remotely like this was the British invasion of 1812 when they burned the city.
