Today (May 14) marked the second anniversary of a Buffalo, NY supermarket mass shooting that took the lives of 10 innocent people. On Monday (May 13), government officials announced a permanent memorial to commemorate those victims as an acknowledgment of the tragic day.
Titled "Seeing Us," the memorial’s design was created by Jin Young Song and Douglass Alligood and features interconnected stone pillars and arches, along with a windowed building for exhibitions and events. Said design was chosen out of several other submissions by the 5/14 Memorial Commission, a board established after the racially motivated event.
“What happened... was an act of senseless violence and it was an act of hate,” said Rev. Mark Blue, the chairman of the 5/14 Memorial Commission, in a press conference. “It’s my intent to make sure we have a memorial that the families and the communities can be proud of.”
Governor Kathy Hochul announced that New York State allocated $5 million towards the $15 million project, with Buffalo contributing $1 million. A yearlong fundraising campaign is expected to cover the remaining costs. “As we approach the solemn two-year anniversary of when our neighbors were senselessly slaughtered solely because of the color of their skin, we rededicate ourselves in supporting the East Buffalo community, remembering those we lost, and supporting those who were injured,” she added.
As REVOLT previously reported, the shooting claimed the lives of nine shoppers, aged between 32 and 86, along with a retired Buffalo police officer working as a security guard. Three store employees were also wounded. All of the victims were Black.
The white gunman, 18-year-old Payton Gendron, is serving a life sentence without parole after pleading guilty to state charges of murder and hate-motivated domestic terrorism. He faces separate federal charges and a potential death penalty if convicted. Tops Friendly Markets, the supermarket chain where the mass shooting occurred, plans to dedicate another memorial near the store and observe a moment of silence at 2:28 p.m., the time of the attack, later today.