A Message from Dean Aviva Abramovsky

Dear Law School Community,

It is with great sorrow that I write about the horrific events at the Tops Supermarket in our City of Buffalo. In the single largest mass shooting in our city’s history, thirteen people have been shot, ten have died, and our community stands shocked and grieving.

According to a statement from U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the mass shooting as a hate crime and an act of racially-motivated violent extremism.

I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of those whose lives were lost. In the wake of this horror, the School of Law community is outraged by such vile depravity and stands in solidarity with all those affected, particularly the members of our Black community.

As U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall said, “Racism separates, but it never liberates. Hatred generates fear, and fear once given a foothold; binds, consumes and imprisons. Nothing is gained from prejudice. No one benefits from racism.”

As we grapple with the darkness of yesterday’s events, know that you are not alone. Together we grieve, and together we must lift each other up and remain united in our fight for justice, peace, and love.

Aviva Abramovsky