This past Monday, the Stop & Shop supermarket on Hempstead Turnpike in West Hempstead reopened following the killing of store manager Ray Wishropp on April 20 by a former employee. Neighbors of this popular supermarket expressed solidarity with Wishropp’s family, and the two shooting survivors who also worked at the store.
“As a community we would like to do something to show support and solidarity with the workers, the shoppers, stop and shop and our whole community. It is a time to come together and show our love,” Rebecca Binstock wrote. “What better way to do that than to shower our town and stop and shop with hearts and hands to symbolize our love.”
Binstock’s call was quickly picked up in the West Hempstead community, as families wrote messages of support on heart-shaped cutouts that were installed in the entrance lobby of the supermarket. Near the checkout counter, a condolence book rests on a table for the public to sign. In the parking lot, a portrait of the father of seven is surrounded by flowers.
Along with tributes at the store, Stop & Shop established the West Hempstead Compassion Fund on GoFundMe with an initial $500,000 to provide direct financial assistance to Wishropp’s family and the families of the two survivors.
By Sergey Kadinsky