Curfew lifted in Buffalo as police back off protesters

Mayor Byron Brown at MLK Park in Buffalo

Buffalo, NY (WBEN) On the last day a curfew was scheduled to be in effect, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown announced Sunday afternoon that he was lifting it. "I had been talking to members of the community all week," said the mayor following an event at Martin Luther King Park that was organized by the NAACP and WNY Area Labor Federation.

Mayor Brown said he had an "excellent" conversation with Free the People Western New York Coalition. He also consulted with Buffalo Police management, State Police management and every member of the Buffalo Common Council.

"I trust the people of this community. I trust the leaders of this community. I trust the passion of this comunity and based on what I saw, I believe it was the right decision to immediately lift the curfew.

The decision to impose the curfew followed several nights of unrest throughout the city over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Asked about police having a lesser presence this weekend, the mayor said it was a tactical decision. "Police told me about that tactical decision," said the mayor. "I agreed with it wholeheartedly. They saw two days of peace. They saw two days of protesters settling down each other. I use the word protest, but this is not really a protest. This is a social movement that has swept this nation, swept the city, and it's sweeping the globe. This is a moment in time and each and every one of us needs to rise to the moment.

On Saturday, the mayor met with a coalition of local groups to discuss police reform.  On Sunday, he said in the coming days he and the common council will come together to announce some reforms that can be done immediately.