"It was a year ago today that a killer motivated by racist hatred and empowered by access to guns took the lives of ten Black people on a Saturday afternoon as they shopped for groceries on the East Side of Buffalo. If it feels like longer, that’s because the year since has seen constant gun violence, with mass shootings happening near-daily across the country.
"The spotlight moves on, but the community cannot – a year later, they are still reeling, still grieving, still seeking answers and solutions. When the headlines moved on to the next preventable, predictable tragedy, they were at risk of being left without the attention and resources needed to cope with the trauma of this shooting or build up an area that has long suffered from underinvestment and the public safety threats that entails. While funding and other commitments have thankfully been made toward these ends, it’s critical that there is ongoing, sustained effort to make sure support stays with this community and others like it.
"It’s Mother's Day today, and my prayers are with the mothers who have lost their children to the rampant epidemic of gun violence that saw an outbreak in a Buffalo market. My prayers are with the people who have lost their own mothers to gun violence. And my prayers are with the mothers who send their children into the world each day who live with the fear of tragedy striking. We owe it to those we have lost, those left to grieve, and those who have to worry, to invest in communities to prevent, not just respond to, the gun violence that devastates families and communities alike."