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Buffalo Police officers take knee, crowd leaves as curfew strikes

The rally was quiet in nature, and it concluded after a Buffalo Police officer said if the group agreed to leave at 8 p.m., no action would be taken against them.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Police officers took a knee, and protesters peacefully went home when the 8 p.m. curfew struck Wednesday at City Hall.

A group of 80 people had gathered downtown at Niagara Square, where people had gathered every day since Saturday following last week's death of George Floyd.

The 46-year-old black man died after Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, pressed his knee to Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes.

Earlier Wednesday, faith-based leaders and community activists held a rally at the same spot, calling for specific and immediate changes with police reform. That rally was organized by Voice Buffalo, a community activism group. 

The evening rally was much quieter in nature, and it concluded after a Buffalo Police detective told the crowd that if the group agreed to leave at 8 p.m., no action would be taken against them.

The detective also told the crowd that police still on site would take a knee at 7:55 p.m. in a moment of solidarity.

The events at City Hall started around 3 p.m. and featured a diverse mix of people who used chalk, would would be easily washed away.

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