Governor Hochul: “I want all the families to know, we will never leave you to carry this burden alone. We are at your side, and we'll also never be defeated by hate. We'll only rise up stronger in the face of it. That's who we are as Buffalonians. That's who we are as New Yorkers.”
Hochul: “Today we celebrate those we lost – remember them, but also know that love can rebuild. Love can help heal. Even in the darkest of times, there is still light and that light shines brightly with compassion and unity and most of all, the unwavering spirit of the people of this great community. We'll carry the memory of these victims in our hearts forever and in their name, we’ll continue the fight for racial justice – all in their names. That is my commitment to you.”
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul, City of Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown, and the 5/14 Memorial Commission, along with the families of those lost and injured and other community stakeholders unveiled the final design of a permanent memorial honoring the victims of the racially motivated May 14, 2022 Tops shooting in Buffalo. “Seeing Us,” designed by Jin Young Song and Douglass Alligood, was chosen from 20 submissions and was one of three finalists chosen by the Commission. Governor Hochul also announced an additional State investment of $4.1 million towards siting, design and construction of the memorial, bringing the total state commitment to $5 million.
VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
AUDIO of the Governor's remarks is available.
PHOTOS of the event will be available on the Governor's Flickr page.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
First of all, I do want to acknowledge the presence of extraordinary elected leaders, who I saw rise up two years ago to look deep within to console a community, and I want to thank each and every one of them. First of all, Mayor Byron Brown, I'll be introducing you in a couple moments, but the depth of courage and character that was on display during those days and weeks that follow, and I want to thank you for providing the leadership to this community that it needed. Let's give another round of applause to him.
First time for me to officially say this, but welcome Congressman Tim Kennedy. Congratulations on ascending to that important role to help deliver for Western New York. Look forward to partnering with you as well. Our County Executive, Mark Poloncarz, who's been there through every crisis, whether it's weather related or related to something as tragic as this horrible shooting. I want to thank our County Executive for his leadership as well.
I've been joined by Tim Hogues. My Commissioner of the New York State Civil Service Commission, Tim Hogues. Commissioner Jackie Bray, my Commissioner of Homeland Security and Emergency Service, who jumped right on this issue and was there to provide support as well as my entire team. Stacy Lynch, my Chief of Staff, can't be here, but she was here embedded with the community for many weeks afterward.
John Persons, the President and CEO of Tops, I want to thank them for their sensitivity and how they've managed this in the aftermath. And I have such incredible gratitude to those who are committed to developing a living and lasting memorial to honor the survivors and the lives lost. Chairman Mark Blue, Reverend Mark Blue, I want to thank you for doing what some would have thought was impossible – bringing people together with toward a common vision, and this will be part of your legacy of what you're able to help give back to a grieving community. And I want to thank you and all the members the 5/14 Memorial Commission. Please stand and let's recognize everyone involved in the Commission.
On a day like today, I'm reminded of Psalm 34, “The Lord is near the brokenhearted and saves the crushed of spirit.” The circumstances that draw us together today are, again, so painful. And yes, our spirits are crushed. Two years ago tomorrow, a shadow fell over our beloved Buffalo, a shadow created by hate, pure evil and a despicable act of violence. A racially motivated mass shooting right at Top Supermarket that tore through the heart of this community. Three Buffalonians were injured. Zaire Goodman, Jennifer Warrington and Christopher Braden. We thank God they survived the attack.
Tragically, 10 of our neighbors, family members, loved ones were stolen that day. Roberta Drury, Margus Morrison, Andre Mackneil, Aaron Salter, Geraldine Talley, Celestine Chaney, Heyward Patterson, Katherine Massey, Pearl Young and Ruth Whitfield. These two years, I cannot imagine the searing pain, the empty seat at the dinner table, the office, the front porch. Second Mother's Day without those who are moms. Father's Day, Christmas, birthdays – there's just a constant reminder of the loss. It just doesn't seem to stop.
And I want all the families to know, we will never leave you to carry this burden alone. We are at your side, and we'll also never be defeated by hate. We'll only rise up stronger in the face of it. That's who we are as Buffalonians. That's who we are as New Yorkers. I'm a daughter of Buffalo, born and raised here. Means there's steel running through my veins. You got to have a toughness to survive in this great city, something we all have. We draw on it often. I've seen this city's struggles, and I've seen this city's triumphs. But I have never, ever witnessed such a powerful display of what it truly means to be a community as I did in the aftermath of this massacre.
In the face of unimaginable horror, Buffalonians could have easily turned inward, dealing with their own grief. But instead, they reached out. We saw it in the strength of victims’ loved ones who channeled their grief into advocacy and action, refusing to let hate win. We saw it in the Buffalonians who opened their doors, their hearts, their arms, even their wallets to help their neighbors in need. We saw it in the businesses around town offering groceries and support while Tops – such a lifeline to East Buffalo – was closed. And we saw it in our clergy, the leaders who they themselves were so deeply wounded and hurt, but they were able to find the depth of compassion necessary to support a grieving community.
I am forever inspired by what I saw here in my hometown in response. So, not just as your neighbor, but also as your Governor, I've made it a central priority to do what we can do to continue to address East Buffalo's immediate needs and take on the systemic challenges that have faced this community far too long.
Literally that same year, a month later, we directed $50 million to this city, added another $10 million the following year. All for many purposes. We heard from the community, what you need right now. We need to help struggling homeowners. We need to help jumpstart economic growth; help the small businesses become stronger.
Workforce training, address food insecurity, increase access to healthy food options and expand affordable mental health to people of all ages, and have centers for people to deal with this unique trauma. We've invested a billion dollars in the Kensington Expressway. Why? Because to me it had always been a visible reminder of racism that has manifested itself even in our infrastructure. Because people didn't care. The community didn't have voices that were powerful at the time. It divided a neighborhood for generations. We continue to engage – monthly meetings with neighbors on how state agencies can work together and figure out how to best serve these communities, not just because of this. We had started this before with major investments because I know this community. But also saying this is not a short-term fix, we are in this for the long haul.
But also what brings us here today – we launched the 5/14 Memorial Commission, engaging family members, victims and survivors, residents, local artists, business leaders.
And again, I want to thank Reverend Blue for chairing this and all the members – especially those who had to relive the trauma and the pain over and over and over – all driven toward this purpose to find this appropriate place of reflection; a place to show love. They were asked to develop a community-driven way to honor those we lost.
And I'd also like to thank the leaders I mentioned at this time, before I continue. I know what you've all been waiting for. You want to see this, right? You want to see what this journey has been about. So, I'd like to ask Mayor Brown, Reverend Blue, Congressman Kennedy and Garnell Whitfield to join me up here for a moment.
I'm proud to unveil the final design of the permanent 5/14 Memorial to honor the victims of this tragedy, keep their memories alive, and help this community heal. The design is called “Seeing Us” by artists Jin Young Song and Douglass Alligood. It was followed after an in-depth process, including public meetings of community survey, where the public could share their thoughts about how this memorial could look and feel. The community selected “Seeing Us” as the best representation of the community's hopes and dreams for this memorial.
As you can see, it contains 10 interconnected pillars inscribed with the names of the 10 victims and will also include a new building, which will be a central hub for education, exhibitions, community activities and events. And to kick start the construction today, I'm proud to announce we're investing as a State an additional $4.1 million, bringing the total State share to $5 million. This will serve as the foundation for the much-needed future support from all levels of government, the philanthropic and business community, and anyone who wants to help bring this memorial to life. The commission will soon embark on a yearlong fundraising campaign to raise the remaining funds necessary to break ground.
This tragedy shocked us. It devastated us. It pushed us to what we thought were beyond our limits. But it didn't break us. It didn't break us. Instead, it revealed a strength that runs deep in the veins of this city. The strength of a community that binds together and refuses to be defined by acts of hate. There's a saying that grief is the price we pay for love. These people are well loved, gauged by the depth of grief that is still so palpable. I wish I had the power to take that pain away. It's hard when you're the Governor of New York to feel powerless about something because people look to you. We can't erase that pain, but we show love and honor and show future generations what these people stood for and the depth of their family's love. This will endure forever.
And today we celebrate those we lost – remember them, but also know that love can rebuild. Love can help heal. Even in the darkest of times, there is still light and that light shines brightly with compassion and unity and most of all, the unwavering spirit of the people of this great community. We'll carry the memory of these victims in our hearts forever and in their name, we’ll continue the fight for racial justice – all in their names. That is my commitment to you.
Thank you for enduring my friends. Thank you for being so proud – so strong. Makes me so proud of all of you. Thank you. And may God bless the great City of Buffalo.