BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A top New York state leader visited Buffalo to announce a major investment into the 5:14 Living Memorial — a tribute to those murdered in the Tops massacre.
In an unexpected announcement for family members of the victims for the May 14, 2022 mass shooting and the 5:14 Commission, State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie appeared at the Apollo Theater in Buffalo Monday to deliver $12 million in state funding that will now allow ground to be broken on the 5:14 Living Memorial and Healing Center to be built at Jefferson and Best.
Speaker Heastie told me he was able to secure the $12 million in state capital funding to help build the $25 million memorial.
But before the check reveal, there were heavy hearts about how the horrific racist
mass shooting has changed so many lives.
"I'm not the same person that I was. I'm scared now. I've never been scared in my life, and we need to do better as a people in this country," said Grady, an East Side community member.
Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes said we all must work to fight the hatred that influenced the shooter to kill Black people in Buffalo.
"He was not born with that hate because no one's born with hate. Someone fed that into him, and his parents, who are civil servants, by the way, belonging to public service unions. I'm not saying that they did it, but somebody did it. He didn't. He wasn't born that way, and we have to stop that," Peoples-Stokes said.
In delivering the funding, Heastie explained there is no better way to spend state money than on "memorializing what happened" on May 14, 2022.
"Until this country has a reckoning with its obsession with guns, you can just count it down to the next time it's going to happen. And you have judges who somehow think that the Constitution says the right to bear arms means the right to have military-style body arm," Heastie said.
Masten District Councilwoman Zeneta Everhart was filled with emotion knowing ground will be broken for the living memorial.
"My heart is exploding right now. I'm sorry Eileen," Everhart said.
Her son Zaire was one of three survivors, who is now going through trial prep for Payton Gendron's federal death penalty case.
WATCH: New York commits $12M for 5:14 Living Memorial and Healing Center
Everhart told me she couldn’t wait to tell him.
"On a day like today, when those families are in court right now for jury selection, it's such a heavy, heavy time right now. I'm sorry, I'm trying to hold back tears, but I can't wait to go pick him up and tell him — we got all the money," Everhart said.
Western New York Congressman Tim Kennedy also appeared at the announcement Monday. He has introduced the "Lieutenant Aaron Salter Jr. Responsible Body Armor Possession Act."
It's named after Aaron Salter, the Tops security guard who confronted the shooter. Kennedy called him a hero.
"Lieutenant Salter's bullets hit its target, but enhanced body armor stopped them. In the process, he gave his own life, buying precious moments for others to hide or escape," Kennedy said. "No civilian should ever have access to that kind of body armor. It's meant for the military and law enforcement only."
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