ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Corrections officers and their families gathered on Abbott Road to protest the state's plans to speed up the closure of three state prisons, including the Gowanda Correctional Facility, in March.
The protest was held ahead of the Buffalo Bills' Wild Card game against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday afternoon in Orchard Park.
Mark DeBurgomaster, the Western Region Vice President of the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association, spoke with 2 On Your Side about that decision.
"You know, most of these officers they're all going to be able to retain their jobs with the State of New York but some are going to have to travel as far as mid-state, Elmira, Southport," he said. "You're talking two and a half hours to four hours, their lives are uprooted, their families are uprooted everything is turned upside down in a 90-day window."
DeBurgomaster called the announcement politically motivated and a "slap in the face" to all corrections officers who have been working throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as essential staff.
New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA) has also expressed concerns about overcrowding at the remaining facilities.
DeBurgomaster said the closure would impact more than 500 people.
State Senator George Borrello from New York's 57th district attended Saturday's rally and called the decision "irresponsible" and "reckless."
Borrello said he feels the 90-day closure notice is not enough time to properly transition inmates or officers.
"They've closed a lot of facilities over the years and we've yet to see much savings," Borrello added.
"At the same time violence is up in prisons, violence against officers is up, at an all-time high, so clearly [the state's] plan of quickly closing these prisons in 90 days without a lot of due-diligence has created a more dangerous situation for everyone and that needs to change."
After March, Governor Cuomo will have closed nearly two dozen correctional facilities since entering office.
A state spokesperson has said the upcoming closure will save New York about $89 million a year.