Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - After a violent Fourth of July Weekend in Buffalo, the city's police union president sounds off on a lack of support from City Hall for the department and all its officers.
In the overnight hours on Sunday morning, a dozen people were shot in Buffalo, while police also responded to several high-priority calls. This overwhelmed not just emergency services in the city, but also created havoc for local hospitals attempting to treat as many people as possible that required medical assistance that evening.
Officers responded to six locations where the shootings occurred, though injuries do not appear to be life-threatening.
In addition, the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association (PBA) released a statement Sunday morning saying officers were cursed at, spit on, and had fireworks hurled in their direction. There was also one officer whose home was intentionally targeted, leaving his windows broken and his wife and young children in fear.
In the hours after the wave of violence across the city, officials in City Hall and other local leaders did provide any sort of statement or provide any information on the weekend's violence.
John Davidson, president of the Buffalo PBA was disappointed in the city's inaction in the aftermath of Sunday morning's violence, especially against his officers.
"The current mayor we have [Sean Ryan] takes time out his days to tweet and make videos and clips and TikToks about rubber ducks and fishing licenses and jumping into pools for lifeguard awareness. I'm hoping that when he does finally speak on this, it's a resounding support of our officers, especially the officer who had his life turned upside down. But at this point, it would be a little frustrating, even if it was an endorsement," said Davidson during an appearance with David Bellavia on WBEN. "It's been over 24 hours since this officer had his house not completely destroyed, but attacked, and his family left in fear for their lives. And we're not getting any support from this mayor publicly or contractually. It's very frustrating."
While there's been no officials numbers from city officials from the weekend's violence, from talking to officers on the scene and supervisors that were trying to triage, Davidson says there were a double-digit number of people shot in the City of Buffalo in a very short period of time in one night at, at least, a half-dozen different locations.
"Then the crowds became unruly, fire engines couldn't get down the street, ambulances couldn't get out of the scene to get to the hospitals. The hospitals were overflowing with patients not just from the shootings, but just from your run-of-the-mill very hot summer night on the Fourth of July. The hospitals were overburdened with the fact that we've got people shooting each other all over the City of Buffalo," Davidson added.
As for the incident with the one Buffalo police officer's house being intentionally targeted, Davidson heard it was a horrific scenario for this officer and his young family.
"In the City of Buffalo, per the contract, you have to live in the city for seven years of your career, the first seven years. This young officer intentionally works in the district furthest from the house he grew up in, and still to this day lives in. To try and avoid some of these conflicts, it's a neighborhood that maybe you'd describe that's 'in transition'. So he purposely worked as far away as possible, he does a great job, he's a model officer, no issues," Davidson noted. "Because we don't have enough police officers, and the Fourth of July is a historically very busy night where officers do get forced into shifts that aren't their norm, he's working in his district where he lives.
"He responds to a call on his street - I don't know the nature of the call specifically - I just know the people there aren't following directions, they're not following lawful commands. The officers do their best to try and explain maybe some workarounds and how they can enjoy the rest of their night, and they leave. Well, the people in this neighborhood know him, because he lives in the neighborhood. They went down to his house, and I don't know if the shots fired were related, but there was a shot fired in the neighborhood. I don't know for certain what happened - that would be for the department to investigate and find out - but his windows were shattered, his wife and kids were home alone while he was out protecting the City of Buffalo, and they spent the rest of the night in absolute abject fear. And the fact that no one's coming out from the city to say how awful this is and to talk about how this is unacceptable, instead, the mayor said yesterday he's not giving a statement yet."
While Davidson is hopeful Mayor Ryan comes out and resoundingly speaks out against the violence that took place in the city, he feels the fact it's been over a day and there has been nothing said from the mayor doesn't give him confidence that support is with the department and its officers.
"It feels as if the support that the mayor has, and it's clear he is on record that he is very pro union and he is very pro labor, it seems that his support for labor unions ends at public safety. I contend that you can't truly be pro union and pro labor if you don't support the Buffalo PBA and corrections unions. I don't see how you can, in good conscience, say that you are pro union and refuse to even reply to text messages and letters requesting negotiation sessions," Davidson noted. "We have had no relationship with this mayor, he refuses to give us any time to talk. He refuses to publicly support us, and not just as a union. We're not seeing a whole lot of support for the Buffalo Police Department from the mayor, and I'm not saying that this is a Buffalo PBA versus department situation. I think our department and the bosses truly would love another 150 officers."
When it comes to a new contract between the city and the Buffalo PBA, Davidson says there has been nothing, to this point, that suggests the Mayor's Office at City Hall is willing to negotiate for a new deal.
"We're getting the impression, at this point, that the mayor actually would like more officers to retire and would like to not hire more officers. Make this not a very appetizing job, because that's how you get rid of the police. You can defund the police - like with something that has been talked about quite a bit by politicians - well, this is a roundabout way to defund the police through attrition," Davidson acknowledged. "You let them retire, and you don't replace with new officers. You don't give them a contract, you don't endorse them or publicly back them in any way, it becomes a job that no one wants, it goes by the wayside, and there you go. You now have defunded the police."
Davidson adds the officials represented by the, Buffalo PBA firmly believe that public safety should be nonpartisan.
"Everyone should understand that you get service no matter who calls 9-1-1," he said. "We do not ask what you do, what your dad does for a living. We don't ask your race, we don't ask your color, we don't ask your sex. We respond, and we do the best we can under all the circumstances we're under right now. The members of the Buffalo PBA truly love the City of buffalo and all of its visitors."
