Biden displays sense of resolve and commitment in wake of mass shooting, Brown says

Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown said he felt a strong sense of resolve and commitment in President Biden when he came to Buffalo in the wake of a racist massacre Saturday that killed 10 people and wounded three others at a Tops market in a predominantly Black neighborhood on Jefferson Avenue.

“The president was very compassionate,” Brown said at a daily briefing near the site of the shooting Tuesday afternoon, a few hours after the president’s visit to the memorial site.

Hate stemming from the media, politicians and the internet have combined to radicalize those like Saturday’s shooter, the president said.

“The president spent an extended amount of time with the families, which was very good to see, really giving families one-on-one time to be able to talk to him and the First Lady,” Brown added.

The mayor said he had an opportunity to talk with Biden at the memorial site, the Delavan-Grider Community Center and on the tarmac at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, where Air Force One landed.

“The president certainly talked about gun control. He talked about his concern for the families here. There was talk about what could be done to end these mass shootings,” said Brown, who described the memorial visit with the president and First Lady Jill Biden as somber and emotional.

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“The number of flowers, candles and other items that were there show the tremendous impact that this horrible act has had on the community. I saw a real resolve in the president to make a difference to try to bring an end to mass shootings in this country,” the mayor said.

Dozens gathered at a police blockade at Jefferson Avenue and East Utica Street, as close as they could get to where the president and first lady Jill Biden laid flowers in memory of the victims over a block away.

Brown, who was asked about when the Tops store might reopen, said he also spoke to Tops Friendly Markets CEO John Persons, who told him that the plan is to reopen as quickly as possible.

“They understand the importance of the store to the community,” he said.

“Right now, there is still an investigation going on inside the store. As soon as that is concluded, Tops will begin to do the work that they have to do to reopen,” Brown added.

In the meantime, the mayor said, Tops will be providing assistance to customers without transportation to get them to other Tops supermarkets nearby. In addition to relying on the Jefferson Avenue Tops for their groceries, many residents in the area depended on the pharmacy inside the store to have their prescriptions filled, he added.

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