BUFFALO, N.Y. — "There's been a lot of positive changes but there still has to be more," said John Elmore, an attorney.
That was the sentiment Tuesday night at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Buffalo, at a memorial service marking one year since the murder of George Floyd.
"We're gathering to commemorate and honor all Black and Brown lives lost as a result of police brutality," said Sarah Washington, the president of Minority Bar Association of WNY.
Several Buffalo Police officers were also at the service, standing in solidarity.
The event was put on by The Minority Bar Association of WNY. A procession followed, led by Darrell Saxon, the owner and director of the Thomas Edwards Funeral Home.
"We wanted to be a part of remembering the life of Brother Floyd and just think on the injustice that he was given. Not only him, but so many of our ancestors and those that did the wrongdoing to us but never had an opportunity to pay the price for what they did to us," Saxon said.
The discussion wasn't surrounding just what happened a year ago, but how our communities and the country as a whole have responded.
Washington explained, "I definitely think we've made progress over the last year especially in light of camera footage being released and families holding police accountable, the public and social media holding police accountable and demanding that police surveillance and footage be released."
However, organizers believe work is far from over.
Elmore told 2 On Your Side a good starting point is looking at what we have in common.
"There's division in America but I don't care if you're a Black Lives Matter person, a Blue Lives Matter person, we all want safe communities," Elmore said. "We all want good policing. We all want a system where bad police officers like Derek Chauvin are not allowed to continue to be bad police officers and endanger the public."
Advocates said it's not just about talking. It's also about doing -- making changes to laws and policies to create a better system for everyone.
"In light of the Congress passing the George Floyd Police Accountability Act we need to see the Senate pass this and get it passed into legislation," Washington said.
In the last year, numerous reforms have been announced and enacted by the City of Buffalo.
To learn more about those efforts here.