The Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo is disgusted by the disgraceful actions of Buffalo Police Department officers in brutally assaulting an elderly protester on the steps of City Hall during a lawful, constitutional protest in Niagara Square the evening of June 4th. Police have an obligation to protect and serve the community, not act as the criminal element they claim to protect us from.

Compounding the damage was the deliberate attempt to mislead the public as to the true events when they claimed shortly after the incident that the innocent protester simply “tripped and fell.” Too often, the police are allowed to hide behind their “Blue Wall of Silence,” shielding from public view the unlawful and unconstitutional actions of their own.

Thankfully, this incident, and its aftermath, was caught on camera and has now been distributed worldwide. Further inflaming an already tense situation is the pattern of police intimidation aimed at subverting the important message of protesters. Persistent helicopter overflights, unlawful arrests of otherwise law abiding citizens and prevalence of military outfitted officers pushing through and dispersing those exercising their rights resembles the worst dictatorial regimes in the world. It’s unacceptable in a free society.

All of this brings to bear the absolute necessity to pass reforms to increase police accountability (like the repeal of NY CRL 50-a) and to examine closely the lack of training and promotion of cultures which lead to such acts of violence and subversion of rights. We call on the relevant City of Buffalo and Erie County authorities to investigate fully and punish accordingly. We stand in solidarity with all those exercising their rights in a free society to have their voices heard; especially on issues of racial injustice and inequity.