The president traveled to Buffalo on Tuesday to meet families of the victims of the shooting, as well as local law enforcement, first responders and community leaders.
President Biden traveled to Buffalo on Tuesday to meet families of the victims of the shooting, as well as local law enforcement, first responders and community leaders. The president was joined by several New York officials, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Mayor Byron W. Brown, Buffalo’s first Black mayor. This transcript has been lightly trimmed for clarity. Majority Leader Schumer, Senator Gillibrand and Congressman Higgins, and Gov., thank you for taking my call when I called. And Mayor Brown, you’ve been — you’ve been wonderful. Thank you. And I know this is a lot of — when a vice-presidential or a presidential trip shows up, it’s — there’s all kinds of paraphernalia and people, and I know it’s not easy. I want to thank your law enforcement officers for not just what they did in this crisis, but for accommodating us, and all the elected officials and law enforcement officers, first responders, and faith leaders that are here today. Jill and I have come to stand with you and, to the families, we’ve come to grieve with you. It’s not the same, but we know a little bit what it’s like to lose a piece of your soul, whether it was a son, a daughter, a husband, a wife, a mother, a father. The feeling of having that — as I said to some of you when we talked privately, you feel like there’s a black hole in your chest you’re being sucked into, and — and you’re suffocating unable — unable to breathe. That’s what it felt like, at least to us, and I’m sure some version of that feels that way to you, the anger, the pain, the depth of the loss that’s so profound. You know, we know it’s hard to believe, and you’re probably not going to believe it, but I can tell you now from our personal experience and many others who we’ve met, the day is going to come it will come, when your loved one brings a smile as you remember him or her. As you remember her, it’s is going to bring a smile to your lip before it brings a tear to your eye. It takes a while for that to happen. It takes a while. It might take more than a season, but our prayer for you is that that time comes sooner or later. But I promise you, it will come. As a nation, I say to the families, we remember them. We’ve been reading about them. We visited a memorial where it shows the love for them and you’ve all shown by the supermarket. Celestine Chaney, 65 years old, brain cancer survivor, churchgoer, bingo player, went to buy strawberries to make her favorite shortcake. A loving mother and grandmother. Roberta Drury, 32, beloved daughter and sister. Moved back home to help take care of her brother after his bone marrow transplant. She went to buy groceries for dinner. The center of attention who made everyone in the room laugh and smile when she walked in. Andre Mackneil, 53. Worked at a restaurant. Went to buy his 3-year-old son a birthday cake. His son is celebrating a birthday, asking, “Where is daddy?”
Katherine Massey, 72, a writer and an advocate who dressed up in costumes at schools and cut the grass in the park and helped in local elections. The glue of the family and the community. Margus Morrison, 52, school bus aide. Went to buy snacks for weekly movie night with the family. Survived by his wife and three children and a stepdaughter. The center of their world. Heyward Patterson, 67, father, church deacon. Fed the homeless at the soup kitchen. Gave rides at a grocery store to neighbors who needed help. Putting food in the trunk of others when he took his final breath. Aaron Salter, 55, retired Buffalo police officer for three decades. Three decades. Loved electric cars.
