Marked by racist murders and a murderous storm, the book closes in on 2022

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News Editorial Board

There was no indication on January 1 that this year would be so difficult.

Like all years and hopefully including 2023, 2022 began with the glow of a fresh start. As with a new baby, anything was possible. And a lot of good things happened, in the Buffalo area, in New York State and across the country.

But what was bad was terrible sometimes heartbreaking. May 14 was horrible.

When a depraved human being traveled 200 miles with the evil intent to murder black people and then do it, the reputation of years was set in stone, at least for the kind-hearted people of the west of New York. Within minutes, 10 innocent people, doing nothing more dangerous than buying food, were taken from their families and communities. Three others were injured. It was a treacherous act committed by a white teenager, consumed by an irrational racist hatred.

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In his response, however, Western New York shone with the best humanity can offer, beginning with President Bidens’ moving visit to the families of the victims and the words of comfort he offered to a city ​​in mourning.

New York State responded by tightening laws that could stave off another tragedy in which a non-business person with a gun could be identified before anyone is harmed.

But the most ambitious response came from widespread, albeit belated, recognition of the terrible cost of Buffalo’s segregation history and the determination to finally do something about it. Access to food, housing, opportunities and education were all discussed and acted upon.

One effort, in particular, has captured national attention. Organized by Kevin Gaughan and led by him and a group of Black Buffalo leaders, the American Food Equity Conference sought to create a national model for easy access to healthy food. This is perhaps the most promising consequence of a historical tragedy. Heres hoping he doesn’t die on the vine.

The year came to a terrifying end as a blizzard of historic proportions raged through parts of western New York, burying streets, damaging homes and killing at least 40 people in the area, most in Buffalo, where at least 31 people endured a storm. – related deaths.

The impact of the storms overshadowed the blizzard of 1977, but, as difficult and stressful as it was, Buffalonians responded as they always have: caring for strangers with open hearts and even open doors. What a community it is.

Many other events characterized 2022, if not so viscerally. Buffalo native Kathy Hochul became the state’s first elected female governor. You don’t have to be a Democrat to enjoy this moment.

Through his efforts and those of many others, an agreement was reached to build a new, modern stadium for the Buffalo Bills which, as a condition of the agreement, will remain here for at least the next 30 years. Until the signing of this agreement, the departure of the teams was always a possibility, but perhaps not a probability.

About the election, America held one without violence and, with the exception of Arizona’s ridiculous Lake Kari, no preposterous allegations of gigantic and virtually impossible voter fraud. Call it the start of an eventual return to normal. Maybe.

Then, again, Donald Trump announced his third run for president, just weeks before the January 6 congressional committee referred him to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution. This is the first time this has happened in US history, but the evidence was compelling and dangerous to ignore.

Back in Buffalo, funding was announced for a plan to cover Rt. 33, a freeway error that isolated much of Buffalo’s black population during its construction. The pledge to cover it, made in an effort to repair the damage, predates the May 14 shooting, but it’s part of working to make Buffalo a better, more inclusive city.

The city’s school district welcomed a new superintendent in the person of a local woman and longtime education leader. Tonja Williams took over from Kriner Cash, who also brought value to the district but reached the end of her string with a mishandled response to February’s violence at McKinley High School. So far, so good.

Two iconic pieces of the Buffalo landscape suffered serious injuries during the year, but they met opposite fates. The USS The Sullivans, a World War II destroyer docked at Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, began to take on water, but with money from Washington and other sources, it was stabilized and should be fully repaired.

This is not the case with the Great Northern Grain Elevator. After a storm tore a hole in a wall in December 2021, James Comerford, then Commissioner of Permits and Inspection Services, issued a thoughtless emergency demolition permit to Archer Daniels Midland Co., owner of the historic structure and which has long aspired to its destruction. Mayor Byron W Brown did nothing to intervene.

Despite the storm damage and unnecessary permission to raze it, the grain elevator continued to stand, unaware of its physical and political wounds.

Meanwhile, the subsequent trial judge, State Supreme Court Justice Emilio Colaiacovo, ruled against the conservatives but waited more than two months to dismiss the case, thereby deliberately stalling or not a call. He finally acted the day before demolition began. If he didn’t deliberately put his thumb on the scales of justice, he made sure people would think he did. The old building, the last of its kind, is falling apart. Buffalo suffers another avoidable loss.

Lots of other things happened, of course, but we end by remembering some of those we lost this year: Queen Elizabeth and Mikhail Gorbachev. James Caan and Tony Sirico. Dwayne Hickman and Tony Dow. Ronnie Spector and Jerry Lee Lewis. And many more.

Locally, we’ve lost too many to list, but let’s mention Gerry Rising, once a nature columnist for The Buffalo News. And remember once again the 10 who tragically lost their lives on May 11: Célestine Chaney. Roberta A. Drury. Andre Mackniel. Catherine Massey. Margus D. Morrison. Heyward Patterson. Aaron Salter Jr. Geraldine Talley. Ruth Whitfield. Young pearl.

What do you think? Send it to us at [email protected]. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and should express an opinion. The column does not print poetry, community event announcements, or thank-you letters. A writer or household can only appear once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact checking and editing.

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