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New Haven reverend: Stand against racism after Buffalo shooting

Rev. Dr. Boise Kimber, Senior Pastor at First Calvary Baptist Church leads a press conference by the New Haven Clergy Association with a passionate speech about racism, community and the Buffalo Massacre in New Haven, Connecticut May 19, 2022.
Tony Spinelli
/
Connecticut Public
Dr. Boise Kimber, senior pastor at First Calvary Baptist Church, speaks during a news conference by the Greater New Haven Clergy Association about racism, community and the Buffalo massacre on Thursday, May 19.

A Connecticut clergy member is calling for action to combat racism in the wake of a targeted attack on a Buffalo supermarket that killed 10 people and injured three others.

Dr. Boise Kimber, a senior pastor at First Calvary Baptist Church in New Haven, visited the Buffalo community devastated by a shooting in which authorities say 11 of the victims were Black.

“We renew our resolve to double down our efforts to fight for good and fairness for people,” Kimber said. “I also said that all good people need to stand up against evil, no matter where it occurs.”

Kimber said the racist attack represents an outgrowth of white supremacy in America and beyond. He’s asking that in response to the event, white people, and white evangelical leaders in particular, don’t provide an “out” for white supremacy by blaming the attack on the shooter’s mental health.

“When whites kill Blacks, when the cops kill Blacks, it’s always, ‘Oh, they got a mental problem.’ We’ve got to deal with their mental capacity. [The shooter] had the proper armor on,” Kimber said. “He scouted out this grocery store more than once. He saw a white person there in the store, pointed at the white person, told the white person not to worry and still shot up Black people. He went there to kill Black people.”

Bishop Charles H. Brewer III lost a family member, Pearl Young 77 of Buffalo NY in the Buffalo Massacre, attends a press conference with The Greater New Haven Clergy Association for a discussion relating to racism and community at the First Calvary Baptist Church in New Haven, Connecticut May 19, 2022.
Tony Spinelli
/
Connecticut Public
Bishop Charles H. Brewer III, who lost family member Pearl Young, 77, in the Buffalo shooting, attends a news conference with the Greater New Haven Clergy Association for a discussion on racism and community at First Calvary Baptist Church in New Haven on May 19, 2022.

While he was in Buffalo, Kimber says he helped organize a service and a news conference. He hopes these events will prompt government officials to act in a manner that will lift Black people out of poverty in the area where the shooting occurred.

Frankie Graziano is the host of 'The Wheelhouse,' focusing on how local and national politics impact the people of Connecticut.

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The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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