“What I am hopeful for is that this incident will bring us together, because… this could have been any one of us or any one of our loved ones… this should bring us together and not tear us apart.”
~Trini Ross, U.S. Attorney. Western District of New York
I hope, beyond anything, that this finds you and your family safe and well.
In the wake of the shooting in Buffalo it is natural for us to feel scared, helpless, angry and frozen by it all. Our first impulse is to focus on our own families. Check in, keep them close, do what we can to assure our children and loved ones are safe. Like me, you may be sending and getting texts and calls from far and wide, loved ones asking for assurance that you are OK.
Sad & Angry… Yet BuffaloStrong
I am very sad for us, for my community, for Buffalo, right now. Sad and angry.
Our first thought is for the people, going about their business like we all were on this gorgeous, sun-filled Saturday, struck down by the unthinkable. Their families, I can’t even imagine what they are experiencing. You say, “See you soon!” to your loved one how many times a day, a week, without a care only to be betrayed in the most horrifying manner possible? Our sympathy is so inadequate but we give it because it’s all we’ve got right now.
Our vision pans out to our community. We are all suffering, not like the families of the victims, no, but still, we are in pain. We’ve crossed a threshold. We can no longer say, “That happens in other places, not here.” We’ve lost complacency. We are now Columbine, Sandy Hook, Boulder, El Paso.
And yet we are still uniquely Buffalo. Imperfect, weird, well-loved Buffalo.
Dr. Aletta
The reason for these shootings makes no sense, but what can make sense is how we come together as a community as Ms. Ross said at the press conference this afternoon.
I hope to channel my grief and anger through helping in any way I can. Being a psychologist, I ask, what can mental health providers do to help?
I honestly am not sure. That’s why I feel compelled to ask everyone I know, including our EWN community, anyone who may be in a position to know if there is anything any of us mental health providers can do to aid our community in the wake of this horrible shooting? I know Buffalo has some good mental health emergency services in Crisis Services and the County. I’m not sure what the private sector can do but I know I’m not alone in wanting to do whatever I can.
I thought I’d start this thread as a way for us to gather our intelligence and to learn what resources are out there to help our community in any way we can. We can at least amplify how and where to find help if we can’t provide the services ourselves. Please post your suggestions or ideas in a comment!
When I find anything actionable I will share it with you all immediately.
Working with Best Self Health, Endeavor Health of WNY, Crisis Services, and Spectrum Health, the Erie County Department of Mental Health will have mental health counselors available tomorrow at a drop in center at the Johnnie B. Wiley Center, 1100 Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo from 9am-9pm. Everyone is welcome.
There are community mental health resources available.
May 15 from 9am-9pm, mental health counselors from
@EC_MentalHealth and its partners from @bestselfwny, @EndeavorWNY, @Crisis_Services, and @Spectrum_and will be available at a drop in center at the Johnnie B. Wiley Center, 1100 Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo. Everyone is welcome.
The United Way of Buffalo & Erie county is available for immediate help calling 211 or texting your zip code to 898-211
Consider volunteering time or donating to Buffalo Community Fridge https://www.facebook.com/buffalocommunityfridge
My best hope in the wake of this tragedy is that our community will continue to come together to address not only the acute tragedy but also the chronic issues that allow hate to fester.
Thank you, Emily. Yes, there is great deal here to address. We can start in these small yet significant ways.
Please consider a donation to any of the following nonprofits to help the people of the East Side of Buffalo. The East Side is a food desert and their only supermarket, Tops, was closed after the mass shooting on Saturday. Thank you.
1. Rooted in Love Inc.
2. Black Love Resists in the Rust
3. WNY Mobile OPS
4. Colored Girls Bike Too
5. Feed Buffalo
6. Feed More Western New York
7. Buffalo Community Fridge
Thank you for sharing these resources in the comments! I am devastated and angry by this horrific act of violence against our black community here in Buffalo. Here is an article with the names of the ten victims who lost their lives. My hope is that we can come together as a community to fight racial injustices. I hope Buffalonians will keep teaching and practicing love instead of hate.
https://www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/remembering-the-victims-10-lives-lost-in-the-buffalo-mass-shooting
That is my hope, too, Christine. Yesterday I went to a community healing circle gathered by PUSH Buffalo and the Community Health Worker Network. It was called Peace, Love & Power and it was indeed powerful in the horror, anger and love expressed by the East Buffalo first responders and residents in defense and for their loved ones, their homes and neighbors. I am hopeful that those of us outside of the directly effected Black community in Buffalo can assist with sensitivity, effectiveness and humility.
An important step is to show up and listen. That’s what you help us do by sharing the stories of those who died on Saturday. Thank you.