Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. issued the following statement regarding the racist mass shooting May 14, 2022 in Buffalo, NY.  During that incident, 18-year-old Payton Gendron killed 10 people and injured at least three more during a domestic terrorist attack at a supermarket in Buffalo, NY.  Gendron staged the attack based on a conspiracy theory that minorities are systematically replacing white Americans and drove around 200 miles to target a predominantly African-American supermarket.

“It is unfortunate that we have to mourn the African-American and other victims of another mass shooting in America.  I want to send my most heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the Americans who perished in that horrific attack.  These were innocent people just trying to do their weekend grocery shopping.  Yet, it seems few places in our nation are safe from the dangers of domestic terrorism.

“It is infuriating that these events are becoming all too common.  We had the 2015 Charleston church shooting, the 2019 El Paso shooting, and other incidents across the country.  It is clear that domestic terrorism is the number one threat to the peace and stability of American communities.  It is time we held certain social media companies accountable for the vile, racist and dangerous communication that leads to terrorist action.  We must take this threat seriously and do everything we can to protect all Americans.”