Latest News

May 17, 2022

Investigative Post: "Buffalo is Segregation City"

By: Jim Heaney | May 17, 2022 In light of the supermarket massacre, it’s time to address the systemic concentration of Blacks on the East Side and the under-investment and over-policing of their community

May 16, 2022

NBC News: "We're hurt, but we're not broken': Buffalo's Black community vows to emerge stronger"

By: Curtis Bunn | May 16, 2022 Charles Gilbert was only a few blocks away from the Buffalo, New York, supermarket when a white 18-year-old allegedly opened fire and spread terror among the local Black community, killing 10 and injuring three on Saturday. Like countless other Black Buffalo …

May 16, 2022

NewsNation: "Buffalo grocery store was a 'pillar in our community'"

By: Sydney Kalich | May 16, 2022 Rev. Mark Blue said the Buffalo supermarket where at least 10 people were shot and killed this weekend was a “pillar in our community” and saved the area from becoming a food desert. At least 10 people were killed and multiple injured after a gunman …

May 16, 2022

Time: "The Buffalo shooter targeted a city haunted by segregation"

By: Eric Cortellessa | May 16, 2022 The Tops supermarket on Buffalo’s Jefferson Avenue is surrounded by streets lined with dilapidated houses. Around the corner is a small strip with two barbershops, a nail salon, and a heavily guarded M&T Bank. On most days, this part of town sees …

May 16, 2022

Reuters: "An oasis in underserved Buffalo neighborhood..."

By: Jenna Zucker | May 16, 2022 For many people in the neighborhood, the Tops Friendly Market was an answer to prayers when it opened for business 19 years ago, providing an oasis of fresh groceries at affordable prices in the middle of an area long considered a "food desert." Before Tops …

May 16, 2022

The New York Times: "The closing of the Tops market on Buffalo's East Side has created a 'food desert'"

By: Troy Closson | May 16, 2022 Across Buffalo’s East Side, many Black residents live in what is known as a “food desert” — an area with little access to low-cost, healthy selections. But when the Tops market opened on Jefferson Avenue in 2003, it helped fill a crucial need …

May 15, 2022

The New York Times: ""Nobody cares about us here': anguish and anger on Buffalo's East Side"

By: Troy Closson | May 15, 2022 They rallied at a Black Lives Matter demonstration on the concrete steps of a local park, calling for politicians to direct more resources to Buffalo’s Black residents living on the largely impoverished East Side. They tossed heavy bags of eggs, bread and water …

May 15, 2022

The Spectrum: "East Side community members mourn victims of racially motivated mass shooting"

By: Grant Ashley, Moaz Elazzazi, Kyle Nguyen, Kayla Estrada | May 15, 2022 Ten people were killed and three were injured in a racially motivated mass shooting at the Tops on Buffalo’s East Side Saturday afternoon. It was the deadliest shooting in Buffalo history.  Eleven of those …

May 15, 2022

The New York Times: "Gunman targeted Black neighborhood shaped by decades of segregation"

By: Anushka Patil| May 15, 2022 The high concentration of Black residents on Buffalo’s East Side — which the suspect in Saturday’s mass shooting said was his reason for targeting the area — is a direct result of decades of segregation and systemic racism, researchers …

May 13, 2022

Special Common Council Summary: Week of May 9, 2022

By Anna Blatto| Each week, PPG summarizes important takeaways from the major Buffalo Common Council meetings. We also include information from Council meetings related to our Community Agenda items.

May 11, 2022

WGRZ: "Buffalo neighbors criticize aspects of Mayor's proposed budget"

By: Rob Hackford | May 11, 2022 A line of Buffalo neighbors shared their criticisms of Mayor Byron Brown's proposed budget Tuesday evening, during a public hearing held by the Common Council. Four budget items garnered the most attention, the Mayor's 4% property tax and garbage fee increase, …

May 6, 2022

Buffalo Common Council Summary: Week of May 2, 2022

By Becca Bass| Each week, PPG summarizes important takeaways from the major Buffalo Common Council meetings. We also include information from Council meetings related to our Community Agenda items.