CAMDEN, NJ, MAY 19, 2022 — We, the Friends of Camden County NAACP 2080, join with other South Jersey area people of goodwill and justice in mourning, reflective prayer, and communal solidarity with the families of Buffalo, New York.
Our Buffalo Sisters and Brothers were harmed and murdered by a marauding White terrorist in the cold-blooded assault. We feel nothing but heartfelt compassion for the precious lives lost and the futures of the living so brutally interrupted in this most vicious attack on Black America since the Charleston, South Carolina, mass murder at Mother Emmanuel African Methodist Church.
Racism is embedded into our political, judicial, and economic systems. We still have the Jim Crow filibuster, which is responsible for NO ACTION on common-sense gun laws and NO ACTION on voter protections. The Jim Crow filibuster is also responsible for inequality and inequity in both Camden and Buffalo. We remain deeply segregated, and for this reason, Black people in our community and across the country have been denied access to quality housing, health care, food, education, and justice.
It’s hard to believe that the color of a person’s skin continues to influence the level of severity and action. The murder epidemic has skyrocketed not only nationally but also locally. It is as if the community has become numb to gun violence. About a week ago, there was a shooting in Farnham Park, adjacent to the Camden High School Campus, during dismissal. We are still waiting for our leadership (Mayor Carstarphen and Superintendent McCombs) to break their silence and address the matter publicly with an action plan.
We, the Friends of the NAACP Camden County Chapter 2080, equate silence as acceptance, and we cannot be silent on matters that involve the slaughtering of innocent lives. What happened in Buffalo, New York impacts us. We are all connected.
Buffalo Is Close to Home. This was a terrorist attack motivated by White nationalist replacement theory racism. And there have been so many before this. I grew up near Buffalo, and one of my friends lives a few blocks from that supermarket. She’s very clear about how important that store is to her community. On Sunday, she learned two of her friends were among the victims. On Monday, she found out that another victim was the relative of a colleague. People living their lives, active in the web of their community. Their futures are extinguished by someone who drove hours from home specifically to massacre them because they are Black. Loved ones were devastated, and their futures irrevocably changed. A community grieving and threatened. This is America.
-Bill Warner, Friends of the NAACP Camden County Chapter 2080
As human beings, we have a moral obligation to stand up and speak out against the injustices that plague our community. It is not OK to overlook it. It is not OK to sweep it under the rug. We are reaching out to the humanity of people–those who appreciate life, those who are their brother’s and sister’s keepers. We urge you not to sit in silence. We urge you to join us in our efforts to fight injustices on a national front and here at home. We are a stronger community when we support each other’s inalienable rights. This is the true essence of what America should be.
The Friends of Camden County NAACP 2080 group was formed after the local branch was suspended following a successful election and newly elected officers. The branch was suspended–but the members remained active and continued to fight.
