“As long as we say their names, they will always be with us. They will never die.”
Those words were delivered by New York State Attorney General Letitia James, one of several speakers who took part Thursday afternoon in a memorial ceremony for the victims if the May 14, 2022 mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket.
Ten people died that day: Celestine Chaney, Roberta A. Drury, Andre Mackneil, Katherine Massey, Margus D. Morrison, Heyward Patterson, Aaron Salter, Jr., Geraldine Talley, Ruth Whitfield, and Pearl Young.
Three others were injured, and countless more were psychologically or spiritually wounded. But Governor Kathy Hochul, who also spoke at the ceremony, said what the shooter failed to do that fateful day was destroy a community.
“Blinded by hate, he imagined this atrocious, atrocious act, this evil act, would incite fear. He meant to paralyze this community and create fear among us. He thought it would take hold and turn our hearts to stone and paralyze the East Side for years to come. But what he did not know is that this community is indestructible,” Hochul said.
The shooter, Peyton Gendron, is currently serving a life sentence after pleading guilty to state charges. He awaits a federal trial where he could face the death penalty.
He selected Black people for his targets. Prior to his actions, he posted his thoughts online in a sprawling document which offered hundreds of pages of racist commentary, and complained of the “great replacement theory” and “white genocide.”
The New York Attorney General’s Office released a report on the online influences behind the mass shooting in October 2022.
“He couldn't imagine that the people he sought to terrorize and oppress would rise up together, stronger than ever before,” Hochul said. “And that is the power of this community, choosing courage over fear, faith over doubt, and ultimately, love over hate.”
But yet, the neighborhood is still hurting, suggests Buffalo mayor Sean Ryan. He spoke of the importance of continuing to remember the victims, and find ways to change the community for the better.
“It's important to mourn the lives lost, and it's important to show that we're here for our neighbors. We're still here for our neighbors, but we know that can't be the end of it,” he said. “When a tragedy like this happens, when something feels like it's out of your control, you have to take a step back and ask yourself, what can I do? How can I be an agent for positive change?”
Among the answers he offered, looking hate in the face and saying there’s no place for it in Buffalo.
“We can begin to fix the problems that made this neighborhood a target in the first place,” Ryan added.