BUFFALO, N.Y. — Two years after the massacre at Tops on Jefferson Avenue, one documentary producer is using the tragedy to teach forgiveness.
Rais Bhuiyan debuted his film “Pain and Peace” in Buffalo at North Park Theatre Tuesday night exactly two years after the racially motivated mass shooting. The film is a feature-length documentary that explores hate and forgiveness in the aftermath of brutal hate crimes that took place across the country.
Bhuiyan is a survivor of a post-9/11 hate crime, which inspired him to travel 17,000 miles across North America to speak with victims, their families and even the perpetrators themselves about these acts.
He was able to forgive the person who shot him in the face back in 2001. But Barbara Massey-Mapps, sister of Katherine Massey, who was killed two years ago at Tops on Jefferson, said forgiveness is easier said than done.
“Forgiveness? I don't think so,” she told 2 On Your Side following the screening. “I wish I could say, ‘Yeah.’ I don't think I can. It's like we said before, when a loved one dies, and you know they're gonna pass, you understand that. But to have a loved one killed, I don't think I can.”
Garnell Whitfield Jr., whose mother Ruth was killed in the shooting, is featured in the film as well as Dr. LaVonne Ansari from the Community Health Center in Buffalo. When Tops was mentioned, the entire crowd was visibly and audibly impacted.
Tuesday’s showing was the debut in Buffalo. For more information about the film and future showings, go to www.painandpeacedoc.com.
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