BUFFALO, N.Y.
Battle against racist police brutality
By Matthew L. Schwartz
Buffalo, N.Y.
It was the biggest protest so far in the fight
against police abuse and racist profiling in Buffalo, N.Y.
On Jan. 17, over 100 protesters rallied at noon in front of
a central city transit station. Then, in a determined show of
solidarity, they marched two miles across town in 20-degree
weather. The march was followed by a 20-car caravan.
The rally was held at the location where, in October, three
white Niagara Frontier Transit Authority cops beat a young
African American student for not showing her transit pass, and
then beat the African American woman bus driver who came to the
teenager's defense. Protesters have been demanding that the bus
driver be reinstated to her job and all charges against her be
dropped.
The Coalition Against Police Abuse sponsored the rally and
march, which was led by a banner reading, "In the spirit of Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., stop racism, stop police
brutality!"
The crowd reflected the diversity and unity of this
coalition of individuals and organizations from the African
American community and the anti-war movement.
At the very front of the march, one of the coalition's
African American organizers carried a placard reading, "Money
for city services and schools, not war." Over and over, the
marchers tied the NFTA cops' racism to city cutbacks under the
rule of the banks' financial control board, and to the price of
the "endless war."
Speakers and placards made it clear that the group was
targeting all police repression and violence, and attacks on
civil liberties, in all communities. One of several similar
placards signed by the coalition read, "Stop Racist
Profiling--Free Our Yemeni Neighbors!" That was targeting the
"Homeland Security" siege and arrests of Arab and Yemeni
community members and leaders here.
Protesters chanted, "An injury to one is an injury to all,"
some shouting on megaphones: "Speak out now! You could be
next!"
After the march, the protesters moved inside to a public
hearing and speak-out where many angrily described the racist
abuse and profiling they and their families have suffered. Over
and over again, their stories ended with a call to "fight
back!"
As a significant contribution to the fight against police
brutality, other community leaders have planned a one-day total
boycott of the Buffalo transit system on Jan. 21. This event
has sparked interest from the media, and excitement among those
hearing about it, and is intended as a powerful statement to
demand respect and dignity.
Reprinted from the Jan. 29, 2004, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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