But what exactly is defined as an outside agitator? Is it someone from outside the city limits who attends a protest in Buffalo with the intent to cause chaos? Out of state?
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said it could be anyone who intends to cause harm at a peaceful protest.
“The people that stayed after were not part of the peaceful protest (Monday),” Mayor Brown said Tuesday. “The people that stayed after were there for other reasons. They were not there out of concern and pain and anger about what happened to George Floyd. They were not there to address issues of racial injustice or police brutality. For some people, it was a cover to loot, to vandalize, to throw rocks, and to try to injure. We cannot allow that to happen.”
Most of the people who have been arrested in connection with the various riots in the City of Buffalo are either from Buffalo or one of the nearby communities. However, there are some people who have attended the events in Buffalo from places like Ohio and Pennsylvania.
It’s unknown if those people from out of state incited the riots. Local and national authorities are investigating, but no arrests have been made.
Buffalo Police Captain Jeff Rinaldo spoke at length about how quickly peaceful assemblies went awry.
“I can’t stand here today and tell you it was outside people that were responsible for officer’s being struck last night or bottles and rocks being thrown. We think…that when you have large crowds assembled, it’s very easy for someone to agitate a situation and it starts the mob mentality. I cannot tell you definitively that (Monday’s) violence was caused by people outside of the city. I can just tell you that it’s a continuation of what we’ve seen not only locally but nationally in terms of people that attend these events.”
Eight people were arrested Monday night after rioting on Bailey Avenue in Buffalo. Two of those people were arrested after an SUV plowed through several police officers, severely hurting one New York State trooper. The driver of the car was charged with multiple crimes on Tuesday evening.
Ten people were initially after the Saturday night riots. Further arrests were made, including the man who set fire to Buffalo City Hall.