Buffalo shooting reawakens collective grief for many Black people

• Hate crimes, experts say, shatter trust and can fuel collective anxiety, stress, depression, hopelessness and post-traumatic stress.
• Reports of hate crimes against Black people rose to 2,755 in 2020, up from 1,930 in the previous year.
• Experts recommend coping strategies to deal with racial violence in communities, including spiritual practices such as group prayer or even activism.

BUFFALO, N.Y. – A day after a white gunman in military gear opened fire at a Buffalo supermarket in a Black neighborhood Saturday afternoon and killed 10 people, longtime city resident Max Anderson found himself moving quickly through a nearby grocery. 

Anderson, who is Black and who works about a block away from where the shooting took place, said being in the store to grab lunch was an “extremely anxious” experience.