President of the New York State Bar Association Decries Apparent Racially-Motivated Buffalo Shooting, Says Epidemic of Gun Violence Must Stop
5.14.2022
T. Andrew Brown, president of the New York State Bar Association, issued the following statement about the shooting in Buffalo that took the lives of ten New Yorkers:
“I offer my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the 10 innocent people who were murdered, and three others injured, in today’s mass shooting at a Buffalo grocery store. The gunman terrorized a group of ordinary citizens who had every right to feel safe when they left their homes to run the most mundane and fundamental of errands – buying food for their families.
The fact that this horrific shooting appears to have been racially motivated, taking place in a Black neighborhood, is yet another example of how communities of color are disproportionately impacted as gun violence spirals out of control across the nation. Just this week, The New York Times reported that gun homicides increased 39.5% among Black people in a single year, taking a staggering 11,904 lives in 2020.
This epidemic must stop.
The investigation into this incident is still in its early stages, and many questions remain. But if racial hatred was indeed the motivation of a twisted individual who purportedly streamed his senseless attack online, as local authorities have said, he must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We must do everything in our power to make sure that New York residents can once again feel safe in their communities. That is a basic human right.”
About the New York State Bar Association
The New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. Since 1876, NYSBA has helped shape the development of law, educated, and informed the legal profession and the public, and championed the rights of New Yorkers through advocacy and guidance in our communities.
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