BUFFALO, N.Y. — Anti-violence groups were at the demonstrations over the weekend. They can also speak to how the violence was in part, fueled by outside agitators.
2 On Your Side spoke to some of the top leaders in Buffalo's Stop the Violence Coalition on Monday. Executive Director of Stop the Violence Murray Holman and Ken Stephens were on the steps of Buffalo City Hall.
"Around what time did you notice a sea change with the demonstrations?" Asked 2 On Your Side's Jeff Preval.
"We noticed a change when we left the rally and they started marching down Delaware Avenue," Holman said. "There was a group of guys from our intel about 400, 300 guys in black gear backpacks joined the party those people probably was not from here."
Preval asked Holman want kind of information they were gleaning from those individuals to know that they were not from around here.
"From all the protests we've been doing we know who the players are we know which groups are going to come here and be radical," Holman said.
Holman could not identify exactly where these outside agitators came from; however, he said he was sure they were not from New York State.
"I don't know what region they came from but I'm sure they didn't live here and I'm sure they were out-of-state," Stephens said. "Normally when you have a protest you're supposed to get permits."
There was no permit for the protest.
Leaders with Stop the Violence say doing property damage that really just leads to a mountain of insurance claims and people being out of work.
