Driving by the American Civic Association in Binghamton, you might never know it was the site of New York's deadliest mass shooting 10 years ago.

But, just like it did on April 3, 2009, the center still supports dozens of immigrants from all over the world, whether it be with job training or learning English.

"That place is so important to our community, because we have long had a tradition of helping immigrants learn our language, assimilate into our culture,” said former Binghamton Mayor Matt Ryan.

A DECADE OF REFLECTION

• The Innocent Victims
• The First Responders
• The Timeline of April 3, 2009
• The Letter from J. Wong

Ryan was mayor of Binghamton when Jiverly Wong opened fire inside the ACA that morning a decade ago. Ryan’s office did everything it could to help the families and the ACA recover from the tragedy.

Continuing a Mission

Meanwhile, staff members inside the center worked to keep providing services, while also trying to maintain staffing levels.

"A lot of changes needed to take place, but with the changes came a lot of challenges that I needed to face also,” said ACA CEO and Executive Director Mayra Garcia.

The center would only have a handful of case workers and volunteers over the next couple of months, including Garcia. And when the executive director resigned in 2015, Garcia was chosen to take over the role.

"It was not the money, to be honest with you. I took this job as a mission to help this community,” Garcia said.

She has been there ever since, taking on the challenges of safety and funding.

New cameras and a security system were installed. Last year, the ACA was awarded a state grant to pay for a full-time attorney. And just last week, 50 people became U.S. citizens, with most of them coming through the ACA.

"Only God knows the intentions for the human heart, and God knows that my intentions have always been the best for this community,” Garcia said.

Remembered Here, But Not Everywhere

Binghamton will never forget the tragedy that changed this city forever. But the question that started to arise very soon after the shooting was whether or not the rest of the country would remember what happened in 2009.

"You never want to be known as a community that this took place in, but on the other hand, people like people to know how a community pulled together and what this community's been through,” said Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski.

Hours after the shooting, coverage dwindled on national media outlets as attention shifted to other stories. And when examples of mass shootings are discussed now, Binghamton is almost always left off the list.

Many said it comes down to one common, but unfortunate theory.

"The most common one, I'll just throw it out there, is that it was immigrants,” said Chief Zikuski.

"I do believe that part of it was that most of the people were not from here,” said former Mayor Ryan.

"Some other cities or states, they keep saying ‘this happens against immigrants, against refugees.’ I really feel that we haven't had any issues coming through the door,” Garcia said.

But remembrance in the national spotlight isn’t as important in remembering the victims as is the continuation of the ACA’s mission, just as it was 10 years ago.

"The best way to honor them is to continue supporting the mission and the good work that continues to take place at the American Civic Association. That is the true legacy,” said current Binghamton Mayor Rich David.