Senator Sean Ryan Speaks on Senate Resolution Mourning the Death of Mickey Harmon and Jordan Celotto
“I rise today to honor the lives of Mickey Harmon and Jordan Celotto, the victims of a senseless murder that occurred last week.
“I share in all the grief that the Buffalo community is feeling. Mickey and Jordan were partners, and they loved Buffalo. They were artists, and they were leaders in the LGBTQ community, and they were dedicated to making Buffalo the best that it could be through their service, their art, and their commitment to improving Buffalo’s neighborhoods, and to a more equitable world.
“It is difficult to describe the extent of the profound impact these two individuals had. As many have noted, Mickey was an icon of gay Buffalo. He was a talented artist, and a dedicated leader in Allentown and all across Buffalo. The murals and the art that Mickey created often honored gay and trans people and Buffalo’s history, as well as our beautiful architecture.
“Jordan came to Buffalo just a few short years ago, but he quickly became part of our Buffalo family. At Remedy House, where he worked, to the dance floor, Jordan will always be remembered for his welcoming presence and the joy that he brought to countless friends and neighbors.
“Our city is a better and brighter place because of how Mickey and Jordan showed up and contributed.
“I would like to close by reading something that Mickey wrote a few years ago. Mickey was a contributor to an art project called Postcards on the Edge. It was a pandemic project, where a local gallery called Hallwalls created postcards that local artists would design, and inside there would be an accompanying message. People could pick them up at a mailbox outside of the Hallwalls gallery and then mail them out to friends to stay connected during that time of despondency and isolation.
“Mickey designed a card featuring Buffalo’s great architectural treasures with smiling faces on them and wrote this to go along with it:
To all Buffalonians,
Let us be reminded of our community’s past and present so we can all look forward to a more positive future.
The history of the Queen City is full of innovators, industry, and communities of good faith.
These buildings we share are a testament to the civil and sovereign duty we have to celebrate this city of no illusions.
It’s your Buffalo.
It’s my Buffalo.
We are neighbors.
“Those were beautiful words that captured exactly who Mickey and Jordan were. Mickey and Jordan may be gone, but their legacy will live on in Buffalo.”