Silence After the Shot

April 21st, 2022 was a day that was cool but seasonable, typical of upstate New York in April. Temperatures hovered in the 50s (°F) during the day and dipped into the 40s or upper 30s by night. People were starting to get outside again, walking, biking, preparing gardens. Sunset occurred around 7:50 PM. The East Side of Binghamton was a quiet, largely residential neighborhood with modest homes and long-established families. Known for being relatively peaceful. It’s not considered a high-crime area. Like much of the U.S., Binghamton was still recovering from the emotional and economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools were fully reopened, but some students (especially middle schoolers like Aliza) were still adjusting to normalcy. Local softball leagues were starting up. Parks and schoolyards were more active. At the time, Binghamton wasn’t experiencing a spike in gun violence. Crime was relatively low. That’s part of what made Aliza Spencer’s murder so jarring — it felt aberrant, like something that just didn’t happen in that part of the city. People were talking about the opioid crisis, mental health access, and housing costs — ongoing issues in many upstate New York communities. But the streets were not considered dangerous for families or children. There was already a mild distrust of local law enforcement in some circles, especially when it came to transparency and community policing. That tension only deepened after Aliza’s shooting and the perceived lack of communication from police.