Mom of Buffalo Shooting Survivor Is Victorious In City Council Primary

Zeneta Everhart, who spoke out about racism and gun violence after her son Zaire Goodman was shot in the 2022 Buffalo mass shooting at a Tops supermarket, was victorious in a Democratic primary Tuesday. Everhart has a history in politics and had previously been on the staff of state Democratic Sen. Tim Kennedy for five years.

Everhart defeated India Walton, another local activist who in 2021 challenged Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown in a Democratic primary, but lost to him in the general election. WIVB-TV, a CBS Buffalo affiliate, reported that Everhart won in a landslide with 1,525 votes (accounting for 66.68%).

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In her victory speech, she remarked: “This is for y’all. It is for the community. This is for my community mommas. This is for everybody.” Everhart added: “I’m truly, truly excited to just get ready to do the work, that’s it. That’s all this is about. This is about fixing our community and just showing people that there is hope. I don’t want people to lose hope.”

Everhart and Walton competed for a seat on Buffalo’s Common Council, representing an area that is still recovering from the white supremacist attack that killed 10 people one year ago. Shortly after, a December blizzard took the lives of 47 people in Buffalo and its surrounding suburbs. The victims who died disproportionately hailed from Black neighborhoods.

Despite suffering defeat, Walton remains committed to doing the work of fighting for marginalized groups. “I think Zeneta is going to do a great job,” she said in her concession speech. “My intention is to keep doing what I’ve been doing: speak truth to power, to continue organizing.”

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