Too Soon to Open

Its been two months since the racially motivated shooting at Tops supermarket in Buffalo, New York that took the lives of innocent African American victims. With the shooter now behind bars, people are having mixed reactions of the store opening.

On May 14, 2022, around 2 pm, Peyton S. Gendron, Caucasian male arrives at the Tops Supermarket dressed in a army attire, bullet proof vest and helmet with a camera streaming the whole show on Twitch. Gendron exits out of his vehicle and pulls out a Bushmaster XM-15 semi-automatic rifle shot at shot four people outside of the grocery store, three fatally. He went inside the market started shooting eight more people and killing six. Security guard tries to stop until he was shot and killed by him. Gendron continues shooting and killing four more people. On video, the shooter was seen aiming at the frightened white shopper later apologized and continues to find African American shoppers. Gendron was attempting suicide but he ran out of ammunition. At 2:36pm, Gendron gone to the front of the building, where patrol officers were able to talk him into dropping his gun after he reportedly aimed it at his neck. Gendron killed 10 victims (some were customers and some were employees of Tops store). Since the bloody shooting massacre at Tops, the store closed its doors until two months later Tops grocery store "quietly" opened its doors Friday morning, according to a Tops news release, with a prayer and a brief cheer from employees, customers and community members who showed up to support the reopening.

LeCandice Durham and her family showed up with sparkly homemade signs reading "WELCOME BACK TOPS" and "WE ♥ U!". "I'm just happy to be here, [to] welcome in the employees, the customers, as they come in to shop for the first time in two months," Durham said, as her young daughter proudly held up a bag of chips purchased inside. Her family had gone in already, but as for herself, Durham said, "I think for now, outside is the best place for me, just because I don't want to cry. I want to be strong today for the brave, courageous people who came back to work." Customers walked inside the store for the first time since the shooting. Inside, brighter lighting, new paint, new flooring and a water wall was built with a a poem about the healing power of water, by Buffalo poet laureate Jillian Haneswort to honor the fallen victims of the Tops store, security cameras, alarms, and increase of security.

However, not everyone is pleased with Tops opening its doors after two months. “We're saying that it's too soon to go back into a store where we're literally walking on the blood of our elders and those that have died to get things that we need," said activist Jalonda Hill. "It's also retraumatizing to go back into a space where people have been murdered." On opening day, Hill and a small group of demonstrators gathered on the sidewalk in front of the store. "I don't want to see business as usual, because my life has not been the same since [the attack]," protested Jerome Wright, who has circulated a petition to get the store to close again.

I understand that tops market wants to stay open for the customers and the Buffalo community just to start the healing process from the shooting. But I’ll have to admit it is pretty too soon plus the shooter is still behind bars pleading “not guilty” and families of the Buffalo victims are still grieving for their love ones and still haven’t received any justice.

What do you think do you guys think it is too soon to open or should the place stay closed until further notices??? Comment below.

If you want to read my article on the shooter 👇👇👇👇👇

Source

https://www.npr.org/2022/07/15/1111771195/tops-grocery-store-buffalo-reopens-mixed-reactions-after-racist-mass-shooting

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