The Western New York Law Center joins the community in lifting up the memory of the ten victims of the 5/14 white supremacist attack in the City of Buffalo. The pain in our community extends much further back than this recent tragedy. This horrendous act of terrorism reopened deep racial wounds and laid bare the lingering effects of a shameful history of residential segregation and systemic racism which, among other inequities, led to the ghettoization of Buffalo’s East Side.

As an organization, we acknowledge the complicity with racism within the legal system, and the barriers that limit access for marginalized communities. To achieve social justice for all people and institutions must be subject and accountable to our laws, and our laws must be fairly applied and fairly enforced.

We stand in solidarity with the members of our community who bear the weight of oppression and an unequal justice system and join them in demanding justice for the hundreds of Black people targeted and killed by law enforcement and vigilante violence because of the color of their skin. Specifically, we remember George Floyd, Michael Brown, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, and Breonna Taylor. At this crucial moment in history, we renew our commitment to advocate for meaningful reforms and policies that address racial and economic injustice and create safe and inclusive communities within and outside our organization.

We support the right to protest and call on all members of our community to challenge racism in all its forms.