Tanya Sharpe talks to CP24 about the ripple effect of the mass shooting in Buffalo

CP24 interviewed Associate Professor Tanya Sharpe about the mass shooting in Buffalo on May 14, which killed 10 people and injured three others. Eleven of the victims were Black.

“This was not a violent act committed by a lone wolf; this was an act of domestic terrorism,” said Associate Professor Tanya Sharpe. “We have a responsibility to intervene before hatred manifests to this level.”

Sharpe described how the vicious murders were re-traumatizing so many communities who are chronically exposed to harm and hatred, and argued that Canada is not isolated from such incidents. “No one is immune to this type of hatred, particularly Black communities.”

“Here in Canada African, Caribbean and Black communities have experienced homicide in their home countries, in Toronto, but they also have family members and friends in the United States, and so the ripple affect and impact of tragedies like these are very, very real,” Sharpe said.

“It is a false narrative to believe that we are in isolation in terms of this pandemic of grief that we are experiencing. Moreover, I need us to understand that manifestos and comments about hatred, just shy of a couple months ago, we also heard here in Canada in several protests, and so we all have a global responsibility to respond to acts of hatred and information that is passed over various platforms in order to avoid something like this happening again.”

> Click here to view the full interview.

Related:

• A new report and interactive map from The CRIB illustrates the disproportionate prevalence of homicides in predominately Black neighbourhoods in Toronto
• New research centre addresses the ‘far-reaching ripple effect’ of homicide violence on Black communities