As you may be aware, this past Saturday, May 14, a gunman opened fire at a Top’s Supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing ten people and injuring three others. Eleven of the victims were Black. This heart-breaking act of violence is only the latest in a string of attacks perpetrated by white supremacists. While the investigation is ongoing, what we do know is that this attack was not random. As our fellow SURJ chapter in Buffalo noted in their recent community email:
We know that this attack was not random. The shooter targeted the east side because he wanted to kill Black people and spread fear and grief in a Black neighborhood. He was motivated by white supremacist ideology promoted by powerful people nationally and locally, from Tucker Carlson to Carl Paladino to Tim Howard. The far right actively organizes white people around this violent ideology, with predictable and tragic results.
Racism is not localized to one neighborhood or one shooter – it is being propagated by far-right media and upheld by our policing and prison systems. In the face of this act of domestic terror, we must resolve to continue our work of calling-in white people to anti-racism. We know we will not see change overnight but we are committed to the journey.
If you are looking for a more immediate way to help our neighbors in Western New York, please consider donating to Black Love Resists in the Rust, who are organizing on the ground in Buffalo with a focus on mental-health resources and access to fresh food.
In solidarity,
SURJ NYC