Buffalo Police Resign Extra Duties Over Treatment of Officers After Incident

The scenes out of Buffalo, New York this week were horrid.  Just plain sickening.

As riot cops marched down the street in Buffalo, an elderly man approached, appearing to be attempting to be helpful.  What happened next was unnerving, as police shoved the man backward, causing him to fall and gruesomely injure his head on the pavement.  In the video, this man’s ears and skull can be seen pouring blood all over the sidewalk as police walk on by.  One officer even shakes his head as if to say, “shouldn’t have been there, old man”.

This prompted an incredible reaction from the city of Buffalo, who almost immediately took to the streets to demand change from their police force.  In response, the law enforcement officers involved in the incident all resigned their post within the Emergency Response Team in protest of the suspension of the two individuals responsible for the shoving. 

All 57 members of the Buffalo Police Department Emergency Response Team resigned on Friday in response to the department suspending two officers after a video surfaced showing them shoving a 75-year-old protester to the ground.

The now-resigned officers remain employed by the department, but are no longer on Emergency Response Team, which was formed in 2016 for the purpose of managing mass protests.

Buffalo’s Mayor then looked to assure the city that this would not affect their safety.

“The City of Buffalo is aware of developments related to the work assignments of certain members of the Buffalo police force,” Mayor Byron Brown said in a statement. “At this time, we can confirm that contingency plans are in place to maintain police services and ensure public safety within our community. The Buffalo police continue  to actively work with the New York State Police and other cooperating agencies.”

Protests are ongoing in Buffalo, and the injured individual is said to be in critical but stable condition at an area hospital.