ACLU Comment on Racially-Motivated Mass Shooting in Buffalo

NEW YORK — A white gunman killed 10 people and wounded three others — 11 of whom are Black — this past Saturday afternoon at a Buffalo, New York supermarket. The FBI is investigating the mass shooting as a racially motivated hate crime.

Below are comments from:

Donna Lieberman, New York Civil Liberties Union executive director: “We are heartbroken for the loved ones of those murdered in a brutal act of racist violence in Buffalo. No one should fear that a trip to the grocery store could become deadly. We cannot turn away from the pain and fear that Black and Brown communities in New York and elsewhere are feeling. The tragedy in Buffalo stems from the deep roots of white supremacy in this country and we must urgently work to dismantle it in all of its forms.”

ReNika Moore, director of the ACLU Racial Justice Program: “We are shaken and outraged by the violent attack on Buffalo’s Black community, which has already faced a long history of neglect and abuse rooted in racism. Acts of violence that are rooted in hate and intolerance have no place in this country or in our communities. Our hearts are with the victims, their families, and the Buffalo community who are calling for real change and investment in the face of this racially motivated violence. We will continue to fight for a world where all of our communities can live without fear.”

Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU National Security Project: “We understand the impulse to ‘do something’ in the face of white supremacist violence, but that ‘something’ should not be to create domestic terrorism crimes using law enforcement powers that for decades have harmed the very communities needing protection. The problem is not a lack of crimes. It is a lack of will that law enforcement agencies have exhibited throughout our history to focus on actual white supremacist violence.”