Tops Markets dedicated its 5/14 Tops Honor Space on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, to remember the victims of the May 2022 racially motivated attack at its Jefferson Avenue location. The memorial is located on the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Landon Street.
The 5/14 Honor Space was unveiled during a private dedication ceremony, which featured a blessing and remarks prior to a reciting of the victims’ names:
• Celestine Chaney • Roberta A. Drury • Andre Mackniel • Katherine Massey • Margus D. Morrison • Heyward Patterson • Aaron Salter Jr. • Geraldine Talley • Ruth Whitfield • Pearl Young
The injured survivors were:
• Christopher Braden • Zaire Goodman • Jennifer Warrington
A moment of silence was held at approximately 2:28 p.m. to honor the victims, followed by a tolling of the bells.
The space features a sculpture entitled “Unity”, which was created by Buffalo-based artist Valeria Cray and her son Hiram Cray, as well as 10 granite honor bollards for each victim. It also features a pear tree gifted to the City of Buffalo through the 9/11 Memorial & Museum’s Survivor Tree Seedling Program, which provides seedlings from a tree that survived the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
