5/14: The Forgotten Survivors

By Myles Carter IG @myles4sheriff

Buffalo Strong is the message, but Kishia Douglas, Taisiah Stewart, Brooklyn Hough and Robia Gary can’t help but feel as though Buffalo has left them to struggle and fend for themselves.

May 14th marks the anniversary of the tragic racist massacre that occurred at the Tops on Jefferson, nestled in the East Side of Buffalo, a predominantly Black community, and many of the survivors from that tragic day feel forgotten.

Payton Gendron is the man responsible for the heinous attack killing 10 people and leaving hundreds more with physical, mental, and emotional trauma. Gendron received a life sentence, the funeral expenses for the deceased were covered and Tops reopened just 60 days after the attack.

This weekend there will be events lined up, speeches will be given, prayers will be said, songs will be sung, and we will sit in the reflection of poets and spoken words that will remind us of the tragic day that our community lost so much. Buffalo Strong is the message, but Kishia Douglas, Taisiah Stewart, Brooklyn Hough and Robia Gary can’t help but feel as though Buffalo has left them struggling to fend for themselves.

Kishia, a strong Black mother with adult children, was gainfully employed on May 14, 2022. She was at Tops, “just buying some juice,” as she tells it, the moment that Gendron walked in to wreak havoc. Sparing us the details, the point that she wants to drive home is, “I lost something that day, I’m not the same woman I was when I walked into Tops.” Kishia tried to go back to work on Monday following the attack. She was sent home and hasn’t been able to return since. She’s been in mental health counseling weekly following 5/14 and still struggles with the trauma that she witnessed that day.

Kishia applied for victim services support through the Erie County District Attorney’s office the same week she came out of work. It wasn’t until 60 days later that she received a letter from the office stating that she had to apply for disability through NYS, a lengthy and arduous process. After going back and forth with the DA’s office, at day 90 from her application, she received a letter stating that she had to now apply for unemployment. She called her employer and they let her know that if she applied that they “wouldn’t fight it,” and she was able to collect unemployment for 26 weeks, at the calculated rate, which is 60% of your income. That has since expired, and she has been left to struggle with the immense financial and emotional struggle that is rooted in 5/14.

Brooklyn, who was a Tops employee on 5/14, has returned to work at several different jobs since. Struggling with childcare for her young children, she plans to quit her retail job to take care of her baby, who was just an infant last year. Workers’ compensation wasn’t a viable option for her because she wanted to maintain her own therapist. She speaks on Black Love Resists in the Rust being the only organization that has consistently provided support when she was in need, stating that no other organization stepped in to provide any type of financial assistance outside of a couple of gift cards and a bus card, that she had to plan to pick up herself.

Robia was in tops with her 14-year-old daughter on 5/14, doing some shopping. Her daughter’s life was turned upside down, her grades struggling as she deals with the intense fallout of PTSD. She doesn’t leave the house anymore unless her son is with her. She’s depleted most of her savings, “just trying to stay afloat,” she says. She recounts her dream of opening her own eldercare facility and reflects on how far off that is now that she is left to aid her daughter and herself in their road to recovery. Robia hasn’t worked since 5/14 and she faces the same struggles as Kishia and Brooklyn, left with no assistance and feeling forgotten.

Taisiah was 18 on May 14, he was sitting on some grocery carts in the front vestibule of the store, waiting for his friend to get off work. He saw Gendron when he walked in, and he saw one of the 10 victims killed in front of his eyes. He took off running, wound up bare foot, ran through the back door and all the way home, cutting his feet on broken glass and jagged rocks behind the store. He’s gone back to work at a few different jobs since then, working to help support his family, but nothing consistent.

Taisiah, Brooklyn, Robia and Kishia make up only a few of the many survivors and victims from 5/14. They aren’t looking for sympathy, they’re pushing for accountability and transparency amongst other things. Altogether, $6,452,355.32 was raised for the 5/14 Survivors Fund, managed by the compassion fund, each of them fell into “category D,” which based on the tiered system, left them with $9,500 each out of 169 applicants. They received an advance payment of $3500 in August and received the remaining $6000 in October when applications closed, and the fund was distributed. Already behind and out of work with no services kicking in, most of the money was spent before it was even received. Robia explains that she received an extra $2000 because the gunman actually put the barrel of the hot gun to her head, leaving a scar that’s still visible today.

To date the Compassion Fund has raised another $6.2m which they have committed to over 80 organizations to help “rebuild the East Side.” Of the millions committed by the federal government and the over $12million raised by the Compassion fund, its hard to understand why those directly impacted by the racist attack are struggling to make ends meet, while trying to focus on their mental health.

Kishia, Taisiah, Brooklyn and Robia meet regularly for support amongst each other. Their demands are simple, and they say it resonates with many of the survivors from 5/14 who are still struggling to regain themselves.

1.Acknowledgement that we exist

2.Financial mental health support, to cover insurance gaps

3.Financial direct support for survivors

4.Remote job opportunities

5.Transparency with Victim Services Funding

6.Reimbursement for purchases made on 5/14

7.Support in self-defense training

If you or someone you know is a victim or survivor from 5/14 and want to be heard, you can contact buffalovictims@gmail. com