Commission Considers May 14 Memorial in Buffalo

The discussion centered on the need for an executive director or perhaps a curator and fundraiser for the memorial to those who died in the May 14, 2022, massacre at Tops Market on Jefferson Avenue.

Masten City Council member Zeneta B. Everhart, whose son was injured in the shooting, suggested a national search be conducted.

Buffalo NAACP President Rev. Mark Blue, who chairs the commission, said he and other members traveled to Washington, D.C., to discuss the memorial project with Buffalo-born Tom Perez, a senior adviser to President Biden, and explore the possibility of federal funding.

The total cost of building the memorial is estimated at $14 million to $15 million. The final design, featuring 10 interconnected pillars representing the 10 people killed in the attack, was unveiled by Gov. Kathy Hochul in May. The state is contributing $5 million, and Mayor Byron W. Brown, who met with commission members before the meeting, has formed a fundraising committee for the May 14 memorial. A site for the memorial has not yet been selected.

In the meantime, Blue noted, contracts are being worked out with the designers, Jin Young Song, an associate professor of architecture at the University at Buffalo, and Douglass Alligood of the design firm Bjarke Ingels Group, and potential contractors are being evaluated.

“We’re in a good place,” Blue said. “We’re just going to keep moving forward.”

After a closed session, committee members voted to hold future meetings at 5:30 p.m. on the first Monday of each month, or on Tuesdays if Mondays are public holidays.