New York Governor, Kathy Hochul did not mince words when issuing a warning to hate groups and those who plan to commit hate crimes in the state. I had a chance to speak with NY's 57th and first woman Governor about the shooting in her hometown of Buffalo on Saturday, May 14, 2022. One thing I can say for certain is that Governor Hochul cares deeply about Buffalo, Western New York, and the community surrounding the Tops Friendly Market on Jefferson Avenue. When it comes to hate crimes being committed in New York, she's made it crystal clear that it will not be tolerated,

You won't get away with this anymore in New York because you have just you've destroyed the sanctity of life, security of a tight-knit community, and there are consequences for that. ~ Gov. Kathy Hochul

By Yasmin Young (used with permission)
By Yasmin Young (used with permission)
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On a beautiful Saturday, a man with hate in his heart chose to kill 10 innocent people and injure 3 others. His despicable actions, rooted in hate, took 10 people away from their families and friends who loved and cared about them. He injured three other victims and traumatized a whole community. We are grieving, in pain, and angry. I have talked with people who now have anxiety and are worried that this type of attack could happen again. I encourage anyone feeling helpless, lost, heartbroken, angry, or other intense emotions to take advantage of the counseling that is available.

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash
Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash
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The killer, who I won't name here because he doesn't deserve recognition, subscribed to hate and traveled over 200 miles from Conklin, NY to hurt as many African-Americans as he could. There is no doubt that this was a hate crime. In a clip that surfaced from his live stream of the attack on Twitch, he can be seen aiming at a man who appears to be white. He then says 'sorry' to the man and moves in another direction. Gov. Hochul has condemned the attack as a hate crime. When I spoke to Gov. Hochul on Monday, May 16, she had a very strong message for those who participate in hate rhetoric or want to plan their own hate-based crimes in New York State.

Kathy Hochul Speaks With Yasmin Young About Resources Available For Victims Of The Mass Shooting In Buffalo

Gov. Hochul has let it be known that there is no place for hate or hate crimes in New York. When I asked her what her message is for those who attack others with hate due to race, religion, sexual orientation, nationality or other differences that should be celebrated, she said,

"You won't get away with this anymore in New York because you have just you've destroyed the sanctity of life, security of a tight-knit community, and there are consequences for that. What this one person did was to embrace the sinister white supremacy philosophy that has been ascribed to by people on the Internet.

They're sharing this hate speech or sharing these ideas. And literally, there was a massacre in New Zealand where the perpetrator, the mass murderer, wrote in a manifesto language very similar to what this perpetrator wrote in his manifesto. So this information is being shared online. And the problem is, it is no longer on the dark web and deep underground. It is being talked about by literally Republican members of Congress in hearings.

And that's documented. It's being talked about on cable news networks by individuals who believe that there's something called the replacement theory that blacks and Jews and immigrants are trying to replace the whites and they must take up arms against it. So this is a global-wide operation that is more dangerous than what we had. We had the people trying to hide their identity by wearing robes and hoods, riding horses, the white supremacists who were part of the KKK.

They still exist, except now they're hiding their identity by going underground on the Internet. And we need to identify them and call them out. But I want elected leaders to also stand up and shame them and say, this is not okay. Because I believe back in 2016 with the new president who came in then, I will not say his name that all of a sudden people felt that it's okay to openly talk about your hostility toward a race or religion or ethnicity.

And it became more mainstream. The more mainstream hate speech becomes, the more dangerous it becomes. It is also because people would start normalizing this, and we cannot let that happen. That is what has to stop. And I'm calling out the social media platforms for allowing this hate speech to spread.

I'm calling on elected leaders to not let this continue. And shame on the talk show hosts who are spewing this hate venom because this is a direct consequence of their influence."

Gov. Hochul has also made $2.8 million available to the people in Buffalo directly affected by this tragedy. You can find more information on it here.

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