Yesterday, tragedy struck the East side community of Buffalo, NY when a gunman opened fire at Tops Friendly Markets, killing 10 people and wounding three others. The gunman, 18 year old Payton Gendron, drove nearly four hours from Conklin, NY to enact his racially motivated killing spree. Gendron, a White extremist, wore body armor while brandishing a high powered rifle. A history of systemic racism in the city of Buffalo created a viable hunting ground for this psychopathic killer. Every major news outlet in the world right now has a spotlight on Gendron’s act of terrorism. Gendron allegedly penned a manifesto full of white supremacist ideology prior to yesterday’s massacre. He wrote “N*GGER” on the barrel of his rifle, and 11 of his victims were black.

Gunman Payton Gendron is arrested “without incident” [Photo credit: BigDawg via REUTERS]

Over the past two months, I have been covering the political corruption in Buffalo, NY. I am a lifelong resident of Niagara Falls, NY - about 30 minutes from Buffalo. Many Buffalonians look at Niagara Falls as a crime-ridden wasteland, while conveniently ignoring the violent crime in their own backyard. All day, dozens of my friends have been marking themselves safe from the shooting in Buffalo.

It’s impossible to discuss yesterday’s tragedy in Buffalo without highlighting the fact that the city is among the most racially segregated in the United States.

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul is a product of Buffalo. Two months ago, Hochul strong-armed the Seneca Nation of Indians into paying New York State $564 million from casino revenue; immediately committing $418 million towards building the new Buffalo Bills stadium; scoring hometown points in the act. Many Senecas have spoken out, calling this an act of racism. While this may appear totally unrelated to yesterday’s tragedy, I assure you it’s not.

In addition to controversial and unfair treaties upon which it was founded, the city of Buffalo has a rich history of racial segregation, including racial zoning and redlining; the impacts of which are still felt today. In 2020, WIVB published “A Legacy of Racism: How Past Practices Affect Segregation in Buffalo Today.” The East side, where the massacre took place, is one example. In a 2021 article entitled “How Buffalo Became One Of The Most Racially Segregated Cities In America,” Elijah Robinson of Buffalo State Record states “Even with the recent progress Buffalo has made in jobs, landscaping, and education, certain areas, like the East side, never see this growth.” The population of Buffalo is about 47% White and 37% Black. Despite this, in 2021 it was reported that over two-thirds of the Buffalo Police Department was White. In 2020, the black poverty rate in Buffalo was nearly 40%, while the white poverty rate was about 26%.

What we are looking at is inequality, and at its core is the Broken Window Theory: When a broken window goes unfixed, people feel comfortable smashing more windows; vandalizing the building and dumping trash on the property. An area with broken streetlights invites after dark criminal activity. An increased police presence does not prevent this from happening, since police respond to crimes that have already been committed; but they cannot be depended on to proactively prevent most crimes.

In 2020, white supremacist groups such as the Proud Boys and the Watchmen viewed Buffalo as a suitable city to hold a parade. Why?

Up until this year, the infamous officer Tim Howard held the office of Erie County Sheriff. During his term, 32 inmates died while incarcerated. In 2017, Howard spoke at the “Spirit of America” rally in Buffalo, where supporters from white supremacist groups such as the Aryan Renaissance Society waved large Confederate flags and actively recruited new members among the crowd. Howard, of course, denies any support for white supremacist groups, saying “I do not support any group that uses violent and discriminatory rhetoric, but how can I limit their god given rights to public assembly and free expression.”

Sarah Buckley, Showing Up for Racial Justice Action organizer, told Spectrum News “Rather than sticking up for the people of Erie County, he is instead headlining rallies where people are waving Confederate flags and waving around neo-Nazi propaganda.”

Former Sheriff Tim Howard is still employed by the Sheriff’s Department as a clerk. Last year, Howard decided not to run for re-election. Instead, January 1st he relinquished his office to his friend John C. Garcia, who he endorsed for the job of sheriff. Garcia called yesterday’s shooting spree a “straight-up racially motivated hate crime.”

The public has been vocal, pointing out the obvious fact that the shooter, an 18 year old white male, was apprehended unscathed.

Civil rights activist Shaun King summed it up best, saying “He’s alive. After slaughtering 10 people in a Black neighborhood in Buffalo. And being heavily armed. He’s still alive. And not even a little injured. It’s a fucking miracle. He’s being handled softly by a police department that has literally killed unarmed Black folk FOR YEARS. Left and right.”

In 2020, dispatcher Bob Marth was suspended from the Buffalo Police Department after posting racist rhetoric on Facebook; calling for violence against Black Lives Matter protestors. Marth wrote “FUCKEN WILD ANIMALS … and what do you do to an animal that’s rabid out of control - you take it out! Mayor stop being a patsy to these fucks and give the order!!! Allow the officers to shoot to kill!!” Real cream of the crop, that guy.

Unfortunately, I’ve heard these same sentiments repeated by cops in my own hometown. To me it seems that the profession has a way of poisoning the minds of those individuals who may have only had a dormant seed of racist beliefs. Many White cops only interaction with Black members of the community is through their position as law enforcement; this, coupled with a lack of proper education, is a recipe for disaster.

The Daily Beast and Investigative Post produced an in-depth analysis of this problem, entitled “The Terrifying History of Bad Cops In Buffalo.”

It is a statistical fact that Buffalo police checkpoints disproportionately target Black areas. According to a WIVB report released last Thursday, “For the roughly 40,000 tickets that included race of the drivers, our analysis found that Black residents got more than four-times more traffic tickets than their white counterparts.”

For a deeper look into how Black Buffalonians view the racism in their community: Last month WBFO published a survey “What Does Racism Look Like In Greater Buffalo?” WARNING: Responses to this survey may shock those Buffalonians who buy into the “City of Good Neighbors” propaganda, without ever considering the voices from the other side of the tracks. Right now, some Buffalonians are saying to themselves “How could this tragedy happen in our perfect city?” Wake up. It’s been a long time coming.

In 2020, WBFO reported “Black families in Buffalo earn an average of $24,700 a year, while white families average nearly double that, at $44,000 a year. That is about $8.50 more per hour.”

Largely responsible for this poverty are the predominantly white Buffalo elitist groups whom we exposed two weeks ago. These developers, formerly known as the Group of 18, and their predecessors the 43 X 79 Group; run the show in Buffalo (and New York State, for that matter). Buffalo community development expert and author Dana Dillaway states in her book “Power Failure: Politics, Patronage and the Economic Future of Buffalo, NY” that the Group of 18 ignored low-income neighborhoods, which “from their point of view, claimed that capital funneled into low-income neighborhoods ‘never comes out’ to get recycled into the economic system.” Dillaway also states “The Group of Eighteen did not expand minority representation on its board of directors and working committees.”

The torch was passed from the Group of 18 to the current powerhouse 43 X 79 Group, which includes convicted felon Louis P. Ciminelli; who told the Buffalo News “This is not class warfare, but meaningful job creation so our children can stay in this community.” In the same interview, Ciminelli added “We've reached out to expand beyond white males.”

Governor Hochul:

LEAD BY EXAMPLE!

As for Governor Kathy Hochul - while she recently cured racism by declaring it a public health crisis, her aggression towards the Seneca People speaks volumes of her character. In a press release issued December 23rd, Hochul stated “For far too long, communities of color in New York have been held back by systemic racism and inequitable treatment.” Yet she went ahead and froze the bank accounts of thousands of people, including elders and parents with children who just needed to buy groceries and medicine… all so she could help fund a new football stadium for oil and gas billionaire Terry Pegula. Hochul also committed $16 million last month towards fighting racism, stating “Hate, racism, and xenophobia have no place in our State, and this critical funding sends a clear message that New York stands united against individuals who seek to sow hatred and divide us.” Sorry, Kathy - this is not a problem you can throw money at, hoping it’ll just go away. You have to lead by example.

Don’t get me wrong - Buffalo, NY is home to thousands of good, honest and hard working people. However, the other group - the scores of racists who have enjoyed generational privilege at the detriment of their fellow Buffalonians - cannot simply be ignored. Yes, Governor Kathy Hochul is a product of Buffalo; living proof that systemic racism is very much alive and thriving in New York State. Her connections with the aforementioned elitist groups cannot be ignored. We cannot remain quiet any longer. Those people who manufacture poverty for their own personal gain, are tilling the soil for unspeakable tragedies such as yesterday’s senseless violence. They must be held accountable for their part in these crimes. Now, not later.

Buffalo Massacre: Systemic Racism Led To Killing Spree

Governor Hochul:

LEAD BY EXAMPLE!