By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-black-hispanic-and-aapi-congressional-caucuses-hold-news-briefing-on-buffalo-shooting Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH: Black, Hispanic and AAPI Congressional caucuses hold news briefing on Buffalo shooting Politics Updated on May 19, 2022 6:24 PM EDT — Published on May 19, 2022 11:43 AM EDT Congressional representatives from Black Caucus, Hispanic Caucus and Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus joined House Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday for a news briefing in response to the shooting at a Buffalo supermarket. Watch the event in the player above. The House passed legislation late Wednesday night that would bolster federal resources to prevent domestic terrorism in response to the racist mass shooting in Buffalo, New York. The 222-203, nearly party-line vote was an answer to the growing pressure Congress faces to address gun violence and white supremacist attacks — a crisis that escalated following two mass shootings over the weekend. “Our domestic terrorism legislation we passed last night is a strong statement to save lives and protect communities,” said Pelosi. “Because this is not just an assault on a person, their family; it alters the character of communities in our country, if people have to be so fearful.” But the legislative effort by Democrats is not new. The House passed a similar measure in 2020 only to have it languish in the Senate. And since lawmakers lack the support in the Senate to move forward with any sort of gun-control legislation they see as necessary to stop mass shootings, Democrats are instead putting their efforts into a broader federal focus on domestic terrorism. The white man accused of killing 10 Black people at the Buffalo supermarket appeared briefly in court Thursday after a grand jury indicted him on a first-degree murder charge. Assistant district attorney Gary Hackbush said the indictment of 18-year-old Payton Gendron was handed up Wednesday. He was silent throughout the proceeding and sent back to jail. Someone shouted “Payton you’re a coward!” as he was led out. Ten people were killed and three others wounded in the Saturday shooting at the Tops Friendly Market in a predominantly Black neighborhood of Buffalo. Authorities are continuing to investigate the possibility of hate crime and terrorism charges. By — Associated Press Associated Press
Congressional representatives from Black Caucus, Hispanic Caucus and Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus joined House Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday for a news briefing in response to the shooting at a Buffalo supermarket. Watch the event in the player above. The House passed legislation late Wednesday night that would bolster federal resources to prevent domestic terrorism in response to the racist mass shooting in Buffalo, New York. The 222-203, nearly party-line vote was an answer to the growing pressure Congress faces to address gun violence and white supremacist attacks — a crisis that escalated following two mass shootings over the weekend. “Our domestic terrorism legislation we passed last night is a strong statement to save lives and protect communities,” said Pelosi. “Because this is not just an assault on a person, their family; it alters the character of communities in our country, if people have to be so fearful.” But the legislative effort by Democrats is not new. The House passed a similar measure in 2020 only to have it languish in the Senate. And since lawmakers lack the support in the Senate to move forward with any sort of gun-control legislation they see as necessary to stop mass shootings, Democrats are instead putting their efforts into a broader federal focus on domestic terrorism. The white man accused of killing 10 Black people at the Buffalo supermarket appeared briefly in court Thursday after a grand jury indicted him on a first-degree murder charge. Assistant district attorney Gary Hackbush said the indictment of 18-year-old Payton Gendron was handed up Wednesday. He was silent throughout the proceeding and sent back to jail. Someone shouted “Payton you’re a coward!” as he was led out. Ten people were killed and three others wounded in the Saturday shooting at the Tops Friendly Market in a predominantly Black neighborhood of Buffalo. Authorities are continuing to investigate the possibility of hate crime and terrorism charges.