BUFFALO, N.Y. — A social justice demonstration got underway Friday evening in North Buffalo as rallies including the March on Washington were held nationwide.
The peaceful march began around Hertel Avenue and Main Street. Buffalo Police escorted the group west along Hertel Avenue to the District D Precinct near Grove Street.
The event, billed as the Hertel Hurdle, is part of a massive nationwide push for racial equality, and it comes 57 years to the day that Martin Luther King Jr. led the first march, protesting the deaths of Black men at the hands of police officers.
"When Martin Luther King marched 57 years ago, he did it because he loved his people so much that he risked his life to do that. That's what we're fueled by," organizer Darien Chandler said.
More than five decades later, the protest continued a focus on the deaths of Black people at the hands of police officers but also called for more community involvement across all walks of life, white, Black, brown, old, or young.
Vicki Ross, Executive Director of the Western New York Peace Center, remembers the first March on Washington but said more still needs to be done.
"We need to redirect money for police and take that money and use it for life-sustaining efforts for schools, healthcare, better roads, taking care of people," Ross said.
That push to "defund police," or reallocate some law enforcement funding toward social initiatives, was also supported by Chandler.
But on top of reinvesting funds, he believes people need to empower themselves to act locally.
"Learn about your local government because that's what really matters. Whether Biden or Trump wins, we still have to do our part ... and become active members of society," Chandler said.
The march was organized by the Western New York Liberation Collective and the Western New York Peace Center.