The Buffalo supermarket where a white gunmen murdered 10 Black people is reopening two months since the racist attack. A moment of silence and prayer was held on Thursday to honor the victims, employees and community impacted by the May 14 mass shooting. The overhauled store will reopen to customers on Friday.
The Tops Friendly Market has been closed since the massacre. Investigators said the shooter was “motivated by white supremacist beliefs” and researched which store would give him the best chance to kill the most Black people. Authorities said he drove for more than three hours from his home in Conklin, New York, to carry out his attack. He’s now facing more than two dozen federal hate crime charges, and could face the death penalty.
The Tops location where the tragedy took place is the only supermarket in the immediate area. As such, it is the only site where thousands of people have close access to fresh foods. The store opened in 2003 after people in the neighborhood fought for years to bring a grocery store to their food desert.
When it was forced to close after the shooting, some people ended up relying on stopgap measures like neighborhood giveaways to access fresh food, which is why the decision to reopen the store, rather than relocate it, is being met with mixed emotions.
One Tops employee said the store is there for a reason and that people will come back.
Others suggested turning the site into a park or recreational center.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said in a statement, “None of us will ever forget the cruel, racist attack” and “the reopening is a step toward healing.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
