As a sign of solidarity in the wake of the May 14th mass shooting at the Jefferson Avenue Tops, the Erie County Legislature voted to confirm May 14th as, “Stand Against White Nationalism Day” in Erie County.
The resolution was sponsored by Chairwoman April N.M. Baskin later received co-sponsorship from 8 other legislators and ultimately passed unanimously 11-0.
Chairwoman Baskin said “White Nationalism is not just about the actions of organized militias and lone extremists, it has a long history of being perpetuated by all levels of government and in the private sector. White Nationalism results in minority communities being enmeshed in poverty and crime. White Nationalism is about hatred as well as the dominance of Whites in spaces of leadership using their power to determine the fate of non-whites in this country. It’s important that after May 14th, elected leaders take a stand against the overt and the underlying theories of White Nationalism.”
The Erie County Legislature has taken a number of steps to provide relief in response to the mass shooting, including the establishment of the Erie County Healing Hub at Johnnie B Wiley stadium, which offered 10-consecutive weeks of free trauma counseling and groceries to residents of East Buffalo.
Other efforts also include the call for investigations into the actions of 911 call takers who improperly handled emergency calls during the mass shooting and at a gathering for one of the victims on May 27. Both calls were made to 911 from zip codes on the East Side. The call takers in both instances were ultimately terminated.
The County Legislature also unanimously passed a resolution calling for the establishment of a resiliency center to offer permanent mental health and trauma counseling in the community. The federal Department of Justice and NYS Office of Victim Services have provided funding to operate such a center.
“We hope to have a committee discussion at the Legislature in the coming weeks to further understand how the $3 Million dollars allocated by Governor Hochul, and the funding provided by DOJ and OVS will be spent on the forthcoming resiliency center,” said Baskin. “The planning oversight is being handled by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office. “