Tops on Jefferson Avenue to be closed May 14, bus service to be offered

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - - The Tops Friendly Markets area on Jefferson Opportunity in Buffalo will be closed one year to the date of the racist mass shooting that took the lives of 10 Black people at the store last May and resulted in injuries to 3 extra victims.

The store will be closed on Sunday, May 14, resuming the following day at 7 a.m. with regular operating hours. On that day, Tops will offer a complimentary bus service from the Jefferson shop parking lot to the Elmwood Avenue place every hour on the hour from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

" One year later on, our hearts still ache for the victims, survivors, their households and our community, and we show with gratitude for everybody who reacted to this despiteful, racist attack with abundant love for our neighbors," stated Tops President John Persons. "Our collective healing is helped by the method individuals in Western New York came together and the method we continue to show up for each other."

Tops is also working to set up a permanent memorial at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Landon Street later on this year. According to the shop, the memorial's design procedure was led by local firm Joy Kuebler Landscape Architect, PC, with input from the Honor Space Planning Committee, which includes community members, survivors, relative of the victims, and Tops associates.

The memorial can be found in addition to New York State's May 14 Memorial Commission, which is dealing with a structure to memorialize the lives and traditions of those who passed away in 2015's shooting.

" We are motivated by the ongoing resiliency of our associates, who have helped us carry forward the objective we've maintained given that very first opening this store: serving the needs of our community," Persons stated. "As we keep in mind the lives modified and lost on that day, we deepen our willpower to support and uplift the Jefferson Avenue community."

Adam Duke is a digital manufacturer who has actually belonged to the News 4 team since 2021. See more of his work here.