Oklahoma City market steps up security to keep store safe after Buffalo shooting
The Market at Eastpoint is standing in solidarity with the victims of Buffalo.
The Market at Eastpoint is standing in solidarity with the victims of Buffalo.
The Market at Eastpoint is standing in solidarity with the victims of Buffalo.
An Oklahoma City market is stepping up security to keep the store safe after Buffalo shooting.
The Market at Eastpoint is standing in solidarity with the victims of Buffalo. With heightened protocols because they are in a predominantly Black neighborhood, similar to the one where 10 people were murdered.
The Market at Eastpoint is a tight-knit community where one can expect to see the same customers every week. That’s why the shooting in Buffalo hit a little close to home.
"We love you, we honor you, we are fighting here with you in Oklahoma City," said Brandi Jones, the manager at The Market at Eastpoint.
The Market at Eastpoint stood with the victims of a hate crime in New York.
"When is this going to stop?" Jones said.
Just last year, the north side of OKC suffered from a food desert, which is similar to the store in Buffalo that was targeted.
"We are that store. Just here in Oklahoma City. We are that same store. We are here in a community where it is predominately black," Jones said.
Investigators said the shooting was fired by hate. The shooting left 10 dead and three others injured in a Buffalo supermarket, with ages ranging from 20 to 86.
"Yesterday when I was at work I am observing and looking at the customers, I’m looking at the elders come through the door and it's just like why. Why would you want to harm the harmless?" Jones said.
New safety measures are being put in place to keep all customers and staff safe.
"The back door is not to be opened unless management is there to guard the door, all vendors are now going to have to check in through the front, " Jones said.
The store is also adding extra cameras, in addition to their security guard, all to let their customers know it is a safe space.
"With the crazy things going on in the world we don't know what to expect, what may approach us at any time, or even walk through the door. So the main thing for me is to keep my staff and customers safe," Jones said.
They’re also getting shirts made for staff and a banner outside letting their customers know they too will not be a victim of a hate crime.