BUFFALO, N.Y. — Tuesday marked the second anniversary of the fatal mass shooting at Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo’s predominantly Black Cold Springs neighborhood, where 10 lives ended violently at the hands of white supremacist Payton Gendron. The then-19-year-old drove more than three hours to the site on Buffalo’s East Side after researching for a location with a high concentration of Black people.
Gendron was sentenced to life without parole. Buffalo, meanwhile, has come up with healing ways to face one of the worst days in its history.
Tops cordoned off a section of its parking lot at the corners of Jefferson Avenue and Landon Street, where it unveiled what it is calling an “Honor Space.” Temperatures rose to the 70s and rain held off until well after the dinner hour. The space was opened to the public in the afternoon after the fanfare.
The space includes several stone benches and an art installation in purple and gold stainless steel created by Buffalo mother-son team Valeria and Hiram Lee Cray. It also features 10 granite posts, each bearing the name of one of the deceased. During the dedication ceremony, the younger Cray choked up at times while addressing the crowd. He blessed the sculpture three times using holy oil, he said, to acknowledge God’s inspiration.
“Without God, we cannot do anything,” he said. “This work is our love. It is the embodiment of our care and protection for the community.”
He went on to credit his mother, Valeria Cray, as the neighborhood fashionista, auntie, cook, and mother to all who needed her. The sculpture is “more than concrete you see, but it’s soul food from the heart,” a place of meditation, solace and resolve where all “may rest your grief at its feet,” he said.
Thomas Beauford Jr., president and CEO of the Buffalo Urban League, was among those who attended. Beauford noted that this year’s observance felt very different than before.
“Last year we were still looking back in disbelief,” he said. “This year has more hope, more of a looking forward to make sure the attack was not brought to our community in vain.”
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Susan Lindquist, a white woman who grew up in the neighboring “Fruit Belt ” district, said she attended because she still feels a strong identification with this neighborhood.
”It’s not just the immediate community, it’s a testament to the whole country,” Lindquist said. “It’s the larger message that we have got to come together to some peaceful understanding.”
The formal ceremony began with a welcome by Kathleen Sautter, Tops’ director of public relations, who introduced Mayor Byron Brown, the first Black person to hold that office. Brown, who is serving a fifth term, told the crowd he was proud to open “this solemn remembrance of the shooting,” emphasizing the city’s resilience and unity, “which gives us hope for the future.”
New York State Attorney General Letitia James stepped away from the Donald Trump trial in Manhattan to attend.
“At a time like this where we seem more divided than ever, it’s really important that we stand together, unified against hate,” she said.
James said she couldn’t help but feel God’s presence and grace at the site. She praised Tops for staying in the neighborhood after the shooting and reinvesting in the neighborhood. She thanked Tops for “truly demonstrating corporate leadership.”
Tops footed the entire bill for the installation.
The White House was represented by Greg Jackson, director of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Jackson is no stranger to gun violence. He found himself caught in the crossfire of gunplay while walking home in Washington, D.C., in 2013. After six surgeries and six more months of recovery, he dedicated himself to working with D.C. youth, and pushed aggressively for the Safer Communities Act, signed by President Biden in 2022. The bill strengthened background checks for gun buyers under 21, clarified licensing requirements, and made more funds available for crisis intervention programs, among other things. Unlike Gendron’s motivation to hurt a number of Black people, Jackson told Black News & Views most gun violence is the result of interpersonal squabbles between individuals, the last resort of “people who just don’t feel like they have any other options.”
Buffalo Fire Department Capt. Marvin Spates struck a bell 10 times in remembrance of each of the shooting victims. Afterwards, their names were read individually.
An additional permanent memorial art installation is being planned by the city of Buffalo. New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul was in Buffalo on Monday to announce a finalist had been picked from some 20 submissions and the state is committing 5 million dollars of the expected cost of 15 million dollars. The next phase of the project will be fundraising. A completion date has not been projected yet.
Gendron is serving a life sentence for his crimes.
