Live Your Life ! Entire police unit resigns ‘in disgust’ because two officers were suspended for pushing elderly man to the ground
Fifty-seven police officers in Buffalo, New York, have resigned from the force’s emergency response team following the suspension of two officers who allegedly pushed a 75-year-old protester to the ground, a source close to the situation said Friday. An investigation is underway in a protest incident Gov. Andrew Cuomo called “wholly unjustified and utterly disgraceful.” The man was seriously injured. Video of the demonstration Thursday shows a row of officers walking toward the man and two pushing him. His head bleeds onto the sidewalk as officers walk past him, some looking down at him. The demonstrators in Niagara Square were, like those across the country, calling for racial justice after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. The 57 officers resigned from the emergency unit but not from the force. The Buffalo mayor’s office told CNN that the 57 members that resigned from the unit make up the entire active emergency response team. A few members of the unit are out currently and are not included in the 57 that resigned, according to the mayor’s office.”Fifty-seven resigned in disgust because of the treatment of two of their members, who were simply executing orders,” Buffalo Police Benevolent Association president John Evans told WGRZ on Friday. WKBW also reported news of the resignations. The man’s identity, Martin Gugino, was confirmed by Cuomo’s office. Gugino is hospitalized in serious but stable condition, authorities said. An attorney representing Gugino released a statement saying Gugino is “alert and oriented” and described him as a longtime peaceful protester and human rights advocate.”Mr Gugino requests privacy for himself and his family as he recovers,” said Kelly V. Zarcone. “He appreciates all of the good wishes he has received and requests that any further protests continue to be peaceful.”Megan Toufexis, Gugino’s niece, told CNN that her uncle attended the protest Thursday to discuss First Amendment rights with police. Protests in the city continued into the evening Friday.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown issued a statement confirming “developments related to work assignments”, which reportedly sees the officers resigned from the tactical unit but not from the larger police department.
“At this time, we can confirm that contingency plans are in place to maintain police services and ensure public safety within our community,” Mr Brown said.
New York State Police confirmed that additional troopers were called into the region, including members of the mobile field unit.
During the incident in the area near Buffalo City Hall, activist Martin Gugino can be seen in the footage to approach police before stumbling backwards and hitting his head on the pavement.
Blood pools on the concrete as police call it in on their radio and continue clearing the square. Hr was rushed to Erie County Medical Centre, where he was in a stable but serious condition.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said told a press conference on Friday that he was “utterly disgusted“ by the officers’ decision to quit the tactical unit.
The Erie County District Attorney is investigating the incident but no charges have yet been filed. Mr Evans said the police union would pay for any defence costs of the two officers.
“We stand behind those officers 100 per cent,” he said.
Mayor Brown also addressed the police department’s statement, which he said had been based on initial reports and was corrected after ‘video evidence started coming in that indicated otherwise.’
Martin Gugino (pictured) is in a serious but stable condition at Erie County Medical Center following the altercation with cops which left him lying in a pool of his own blood on the sidewalk in front of City Hall Thursday night
‘I will be the first to say that initial communication was an error, but it was a desire to respond to media inquiries really quickly and to provide information to the community quickly,’ he said. He added that officials took immediate action after the footage came to light.
When asked about the 57 members who resigned, he said the city had a ‘contingency plan’ and assured ‘Buffalo will be safe this weekend.’
Earlier today, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called for criminal charges to be made against the officers.
In his daily press briefing Friday morning, Cuomo played the shocking footage which he said made him feel ‘physically sick’ in the same way the horrifying state death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has hit him over the last 90 days.
‘I was sick to my stomach… it was the same feeling I had for 90 of the past nights when I got the death tolls for coronavirus. I was physically sick to my stomach,’ he said.
The governor called for the city to fire and charge the two cops responsible for the attack on the elderly man and urged authorities to move quickly.
‘I think the city should pursue firing and I think the DA should look at the situation for possible criminal charges and I think that should be done on an expeditious basis,’ he said.