Syracuse Black community speaks out against Buffalo massacre

Syracuse, New York

Dozens of people gathered at the Tops grocery store on Pond Street in Syracuse for a May 15 vigil honoring those who died in the May 14 white-supremacist attack in Buffalo. The 10 Black people who died were shopping or working at the Tops supermarket in the Eastside Black community there.

The killer, who was from a small community near Binghamton — about an hour south of Syracuse — left records showing he considered targeting Black neighborhoods in Syracuse, among other locations, before choosing Buffalo. Such neighborhoods include the Pond Street area and the Southside of Syracuse, where residents were interviewed on their response to the murders. (syracuse.com, May 20)

Interviewed by the Syracuse Post-Standard while shopping at the Southside Price Rite supermarket, Black residents — who had family, friendship and community connections with some of those killed — expressed shock but not surprise at the racist massacre. Cherelle Wynn emphasized: “People are still raised to hate. He had to learn it.” Maria Cooper added: “They’ll plead insanity. That boy knew what the f*** he was doing.” (syracuse.com, May 20)

The head of the Syracuse National Action Network chapter, Rev. H. Bernard Alex, said he personally knew two of those killed through his church work. The local chapter of NAN is sponsoring a march May 25 in Syracuse. Planned to mark the two-year anniversary of the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, the march has been expanded to commemorate victims of the Buffalo massacre.