Buffalo Activist Brutalized, Maced and Clubbed by Police at Peaceful Demonstration

At Friday’s Stop All Wars at Home and Abroad demonstration, Buffalo’s part in a national call to action, longtime local activist, Nate Buckley, was tackled, beat with a baton and sprayed with mace at close range. Two other activists were also arrested.

At 4:30PM on Friday, April 8th, over 70 people gathered at Lafayette Square to protest wars at home and abroad. They marched down Court St to City Hall, past the FBI offices and held a short rally in front of M & T Bank Offices.

According to protest organizers, M&T was chosen by because the huge financial conglomerate has made substantial investments in “defense,” providing material support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and Libya. In addition, M&T received 600 million dollars in government bailout funds in 2008 and have not repaid a penny while the company’s top three executives received 2.1 million dollars each in 2010. This is all Legal.

Shortly before 6:30PM, an employee of M&T asked the protesters to get off the concrete feature that ran along the sidewalk, protesters initially chose not move. Niagara Frontier Transit Authority (NFTA) police arrived and the protesters did get off the private property. However, police tackled Nate Buckley, one of the demonstrators, and beat him with a baton, then sprayed mace directly into his eyes.

NFTA police have a long track record of brutality in this city. It would not be right not to mention the Extreme injustice and disparities of Class, Gender and Race have to play in Police Brutality and Legal injustice system. Cell phone video footage featuring this police action is available.

Buckley has been charged with 4 Class A Misdemeanors (Inciting to Riot, Riot in the second degree, Resisting Arrest, Obstructing Governmental Administration), a Class B Misdemeanor (Unlawful Assembly) and six Violations (one count of Trespass and five counts of Disorderly Conduct).