police brutality

A former Buffalo Police officer and her supporters rallied in Lafayette Square Friday afternoon, where it was announced she has obtained a legal team in a bid to restore her eligibility for a full pension. She lost her job with the police department in 2007, for what supporters insist was doing the right thing.

A former Buffalo police officer and approximately two dozen peers stood outside Buffalo Police Headquarters Tuesday morning, announcing their proposed legislation that would require law enforcers step in to stop peers from committing acts of brutality, or face prosecution for failing to act.

Members of the Buffalo Police Department covered their name tags while guarding Mayor Byron Brown’s house Wednesday evening, a dubious practice seen across the U.S. during the recent police brutality protests.

Their demands were visible in the signs they carried, as protesters marched and drove from Buffalo's Niagara Square, through the Elmwood Village, and eventually to the Hamlin Park home of Mayor Byron Brown Wednesday. As protesters gathered, the mayor was escorted by police to an awaiting vehicle, which left the scene. The event was loud, but peaceful.

A group of protesters occupying Niagara Square was met by Buffalo police officers as they marched from downtown Buffalo to Mayor Byron Brown’s residence Wednesday evening. 

Some of the steps toward police and racial equity reform, announced by Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown earlier this month, take effect on Wednesday.

This year's Juneteenth may spark more demonstrations than celebrations, as tensions remain high after the recent death of George Floyd and other African Americans during encounters with police. Juneteenth historically recalls that day in 1865 when the enslaved flooded the streets of Galveston, TX to celebrate their newly announced freedom. But its 2020 observance also begs a look at systemic racism in its modern form.

New York Attorney General Letitia James is conducting public hearings on the interactions between police and the public during weeks of mass protests across the state, including in Buffalo.

Last week's tweet by President Donald Trump about a Buffalo activist, injured after being pushed and falling in Niagara Square, is just one example of a long-running history of media misinformation. A University at Buffalo expert on media effects, persuasion and misinformation discussed the ongoing trend of spreading false narratives, and offers pointers for better judgment while warning that misinformation will only escalate with a tense presidential election coming.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed several police reform measures into law Friday, while saying he’ll withhold state funding from local police departments that do not submit proof that they’ve worked with their communities to reconfigure their forces. 

There is a growing movement to defund the police, after the death of George Floyd and incidences of police brutality in the nationwide protests that came in the aftermath. New York leaders say they would rather restructure the forces than cut their budgets.

More than 100 unionized healthcare workers at Oishei Children’s Hospital and Buffalo General Medical Center took part in a national walkout for Black lives Thursday, calling for an end to police brutality against people of color and more equitable access to healthcare.

Flanked by representatives of the Free The People WNY Coalition, Common Councilmembers, members of Buffalo Police Department and two National Football League players, Mayor Byron Brown announced a series of changes in the city's police policy while vowing that conversations to address social inequity have only just begun.

The New York State legislature Wednesday wrapped up passage of a package of bills on police reform, as the Senate Leader delivered a very personal speech on how systemic racism has affected her life.

Police seem to dominate so many conversation these days, as protests continue in Buffalo and around the world. A key issue in all of these conversations is the rules for becoming an officer and how an officer might lose that badge for bad behavior.

The Buffalo Common Council is pushing for change in the city's police department, some longstanding issues and some growing out of the current string of protests across the world about police violence.

Hundreds of Western New York educators gathered on the steps of Buffalo City Hall late Tuesday afternoon to voice their support for the Black Lives Matter movement. From elementary to collegiate, urban to suburban, educators, parents, students and officials of all levels stood in front of Niagara Square to address their roles in confronting systematic racism.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown is expected to soon announce police reform proposals in the wake of the George Floyd protests and a WBFO video showing Buffalo police pushing an elderly protester. However, the Buffalo Common Council’s independent police advisory body already has an idea of what reforms it would like to see.

The New York Assembly and Senate has approved the repeal of a measure that’s been used to shield police disciplinary records from the public, although opponents, including police unions and some Republican Senators, says it unfairly singles out officers for scrutiny that other public servants don’t face.

The President of the United States tweeted Tuesday morning, without providing evidence, that Buffalo activist Martin Gugino "could be an ANTIFA provocateur." Donald Trump also raised questions about Gugino's fall during last Thursday's protest in Niagara Square, and whether he was trying to disrupt police equipment.