BUFFALO, N.Y. — The first of three community forums to talk about the good and bad of policing in Buffalo is set for Tuesday night.
The meeting is from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Frank Merriweather Library located at 1324 Jefferson Avenue.
It's a chance for people who live and work in Buffalo to openly discuss their concerns and try and develop solutions. Information and ideas from the forums will then be discussed during the Common Council's Police Oversight Committee meeting scheduled for September.
The forums are organized by the Buffalo Police advisory board — an 11-member group that's helping to make sure the voices of their communities are heard.
The group is made up of various community leaders and stakeholders who have had some sort of community building experience, whether it's through their everyday jobs or volunteering. Members had to apply to become a part of the group.
Advisory board member Dani Johnson said the group has people of various professions, races, genders who have different viewpoints, but they all have one common goal — to be engaged in their communities and work toward improving them.
"There are folks who feel safe and who feel that the police are doing great, but there are folks who have the opposite feeling as well though. It's so critically important that every voice we are able to capture, that we are able to do that," said Dani Johnson, PhD. "We feel like it's our responsibility to be able to connect with community to authentically bring some of those voices forward that may not have been heard."
Each of the forums is an hour and a half. There will be a short introduction of the board members, and then it will be open for people to speak. Speakers will have to sign in. Each will get three minutes to talk in order to allow as many people as possible to participate.
There are two future forums:
- August 29 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Niagara Branch Library on Porter Avenue
- September 6 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Gloria J. Parks Community Center on Main Street.