Victims Of Hate Are Not “Them” Or “They”

In Western New York, the Buffalo massacre is an attack on us.

The Buffalo grocery store shooting victims are probably not what “they” think. The victims weren’t what the perpetrator imagined “them” to be. They were real people.

I wrote about my pet peeves on the afternoon of that shooting, not knowing of the synchronicity in regard to the event only about 50 miles away. My pet peeves included generalization and people who continuously refer to “they.” “They” are not out to get ya, and doesn’t include all of anything.

Buffalo is known as “The City Of Good Neighbors .” This extends beyond Buffalo to the rest of New York. There are exceptions, some who don’t define the term “good neighbor,” but most of us in Western New York are good neighbors.

The victims were good neighbors, moms, dads, step-parents, grandparents, and retirees. Only one of the ten was under 50-years old. Each had more in common with you and me than you might think. These folks were easy targets for the cowardly ilk of the perp and those like him who hide among us with their ill and evil-inclined psyches.

If you look at the area of Buffalo where this occurred, you may notice the paradox of this tight-nit, urban community. The supermarket is, as some described, a community center where people wouldn’t just shop but would meet and sit for a while on a beautiful day like Saturday was. They appreciate that sense of community. It’s a unique aspect to that particular store because of the neighborhood.

One reason why it’s a meeting place is that it’s the only supermarket in the area. It’s an area described as a food desert, approximately 4 to 5 square miles of a low-income urban area that has limited access to affordable and nutritious food. A place where many people still prefer to walk or use public transportation. Several cities have them, and they certainly exist in Buffalo, Rochester, and Niagara Falls, the largest cities in Western New York.

The economic reality feeds a false narrative of the “they” that racists, mainly white supremacists, refer to. It feeds the “they” that big investors are afraid to support because such a neighborhood, though profitable, isn’t as lucrative as others. Tops is a regional chain, with locations in small towns, cities, villages, all throughout Western and Central New York. You might just think “they” are only in urban areas.

Yes, the Cold Spring / Masten Park neighborhood area of Buffalo is economically challenged by demographic, but it’s not as unsightly as you might think, as “they” say. The Tops supermarket is on a primary street where steel window grates to protect storefronts many other storefronts. There’s a lot of concrete, and boarded up empty businesses.

The side streets, where the population resides, paint a different story.

You won’t see ugly high rises and dumpy concrete apartment complexes on the side streets. They’re bustling with single-family, two-family, and some larger, multi-family houses. The residents show pride in their neighborhood, a pride in their community, sometimes defying the economic reality and proving wrong the “they” that made them the perpetrator’s target.

There are flowers, decorations, small yards, swing sets, Bills and Sabres flags, Yankees, Blue Jays, or Buffalo Bisons baseball decor. There are supporters of UB (University of Buffalo), Buff State (SUNY Buffalo), and other colleges in the area. There are also indicators of further pride in their community, and yes, Black Lives Matter is represented. They do, and it should be.

I’ve written about how beautiful Western New York is. I love it here, and I’m proud to be a Western New Yorker. But I’m angry to tears about what has taken place.

Though it’s an hour away, this happened in my backyard. It’s even closer to my family, that lives in the City of Buffalo. These people are my neighbors here in Western New York.

Love thy neighbor. Don’t let anybody tell you “they” are this or that. No matter how far from you, 50 miles, 500 miles, 5000 miles, “they” are “us.”

“They” should be “we.” If only it were that easy, we could all live in peace. We should.

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