BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Three years after a white supremacist opened fire inside the Tops Market on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo, killing 10 Black people, Mark Talley still feels the weight of that day.
“To me, I feel numb. This day is just…numb,” he said.
Talley’s mother, Geraldine Talley, was one of the 10 victims murdered in the attack. The trauma of losing her, especially so close to Mother’s Day, has left a permanent wound.
“It’s something you’ll never forget,” he said. “It’s constant pain…I can only do my best to try to heal, although I know that’ll never happen.”
Since the tragedy, Talley has become an advocate of what he describes as broken promises and surface-level gestures of support.
He pointed to the lack of a second grocery store on the East Side, rising food prices, and a renovated Tops that still stands on the site of the massacre.
“The East Side of Buffalo is consistently taken advantage of,” Talley said. “People here need health care, child care…jobs where they’re not making $15.36.”
On Wednesday, the community gathered to honor the lives lost and to continue pushing for lasting change, but Talley voiced concern that the focus often fades too fast.
Other residents echoed his frustration, but also hope.
Daren Thomas, a longtime East Side neighbor, said he’s still hurting and hasn’t stepped foot inside the Jefferson Avenue Tops since the shooting.
“I’m still healing, but we’re surviving,” he said. “We’re praying every day.”
Still, many in the community are working to turn pain into progress. Despite the grief that lingers, residents say the East Side is rooted in strength and love.
“This is a community of love, not hate,” said Lorraine Baker, a Tops employee for 24 years. “We love one another.”
As for Talley, his hope is simple: real change, not just remembrance.
