BUFFALO, N.Y. — Demonstrations Tuesday, Monday night and over the weekend are all raising questions of how people feel in the communities where these protests are taking place.
We heard from several pastors on Buffalo's East Side and residents along Bailey Ave., the scene of Monday night's protest that turned violent.
Pastor Kenneth Simmons of Cold Spring Bible Chapel organized a community cleanup Tuesday morning of the Bailey-Delavan intersection, the scene of where three police officers were hurt Monday night when an SUV plowed into a crowd.
Community activists were joined by people from the neighborhood.
Assembly majority leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes and Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul also helped out.
We had to chance to speak to some people about the mood in the community and the anger people feel, especially members of the youth.
"We understand they're hurt we understand their pain and so we don't want to ridicule them we don't want to say anything bad about their movement we just want to let them know we are here for them and we are here to teach them and show them leading by example," Simmons said.
One area resident, who would only go by her first name, Tiarrie said: "If nothing gets figured out or nothing changes then it's going to stay the same and there's always going to be hate because we're not being heard as you see there's a lot of young people out here because we're not being heard."
Mayor Byron Brown, joined by police officials said they hear the protesters, they understand their pain. Mayor Brown says as a black man, he experiences racism.
Peoples-Stokes says there will be change in the criminal justice system.
Today, she reiterated her call to repeal a law that keeps personnel records for members of law enforcement confidential, under many circumstances -- something that Governor Andrew Cuomo says he supports.
Peoples-Stokes says she understands the community frustration, but that violence is not acceptable.
"It is not your right to destruct anybody's property and it is not your right to hurt people in the process. Clearly, there is a reason to be protesting way too much police brutality. It's got to end its got to stop," she said.
Peoples-Stokes is also calling for false 911 reports to be designated a hate crime and for independent prosecutors to investigate any criminal case against a member of law enforcement.
Cuomo tweeted Monday his support for parts of that reform package and he's calling for a national ban on excessive force and chokeholds.