NYC calmer as Buffalo police draw ire for protester injury

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

NEW YORK (AP) — The latest night of protests in New York City sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police was markedly calmer, while video of a police officer appearing to shove an elderly protester who falls and cracks his head in Buffalo drew widespread condemnation.

Video from WFBO showed a Buffalo police officer appearing to push the 75-year-old man who walked up to police clearing Niagara Square around the 8 p.m. curfew Thursday. The man falls straight backward and hits his head on the pavement, with blood leaking out as officers walk past.

The video quickly went viral on social media, spurring outrage. Buffalo police initially said in a statement that a person “was injured when he tripped & fell,” WIVB-TV reported, but Capt. Jeff Rinaldo later told the TV station that an internal affairs investigation was opened. The police commissioner subsequently suspended two police officers without pay, Mayor Byron Brown said in a statement.

The mayor of the western New York city, who expressed he was “deeply disturbed” by the video, said the unidentified man was in “stable but serious” condition at a hospital.



In this image from video provided by WBFO, a Buffalo police officer appears to shove a man who walked up to police Thursday, June 4, 2020, in Buffalo, N.Y. Video from WBFO shows the man appearing to hit his head on the pavement, with blood leaking out as officers walk past to clear Niagara Square. Buffalo police initially said in a statement that a person “was injured when he tripped & fell,” WIVB-TV reported, but Capt. Jeff Rinaldo later told the TV station that an internal affairs investigation was opened. Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood suspended two officers late Thursday, the mayor’s statement said. (Mike Desmond/WBFO via AP)

Read more: https://apnews.com/52a6ae9adfbe5e75a8e06a2e72380b31

[still_one]

1. It was unconscionable that not one policeman stopped to give aid

We are going through a Civil Rights movement

[FarPoint]

2. This is exactly what happens every day! Has for years

This is why we protest, march and force the country to change how we are policed in every community...

[SamKnause]

3. Watch the video again.

One officer tried, but his supervisor pulled him back.

You can tell he is a supervisor because he has a gold badge.

At some point people have to decide if their job is more important then their reputations

or simple decency.

The officer that was pulled back should have jerked away from his supervisor and helped the man.

[still_one]

6. I agree. A real life example of the Milgram experiment

[SamKnause]

7. Exactly !!!

[still_one]

9. ...................................

[DENVERPOPS]

17. Look again, very closely

the cop that made a move to check on him WAS THE VERY ONE WHO "CROSS CHECKED" HIM, KNOCKING HIM TO THE GROUND....along with the other officer shoving him.....

In the NHL a player can get a game misconduct or worse for that..............

[LisaL]

21. The guy who pushed him is not the one who made a move to check on him.

The elderly man approached two cops. Then the third cop is coming behind the other two cops. The guy who pushes the elderly man is one of the two cops the man first approached, but not the one who made a move to check. You can clearly see the hand of the other cop coming to push the man.

[DENVERPOPS]

22. I disagree, sorry

both of them made contact..............the force exerted by a cross check is far greater than a one handed shove.

[cvs15ensign]

20. Not showing mercy at the older guy

He was spewing hate out of his mouth and the "supervisor" was reminding him, there are more people ahead to beat up!

[RVN VET71]

4. Look again.

One tried to but was pushed forward by another. And the rest are all just robots who are incapable of giving a shit that an old man might be dying right in front of them. It was, apparently, more important to these men and women to keep the line moving forward and to hell with the old man. I won't say ACAB. I don't like the sentiment behind it. This scene comes very close but for the one guy who tried and was shoved forward, forced to ignore the injured man by the "serve and protect" automatons he serves with.

[still_one]

5. I saw that, and it is sad that he didn't break away from the "robots" anyway

[RVN VET71]

24. That . . .

that would have been his moment of true glory, one he could share with his grandchildren, yes? But he was intimidated by his comrades and acted like what we used to call a "good German".

BTW, all of those cops resigned from their hit-squad assignments -- and all of them should be asked to resign from the force. One after another they should be called into the chief's office and asked for the badge and weapons.

[Bengus81]

8. Still WAITING to see that video and one from Salt lake city on CNN,MSNBC somebody..........

Fires,looting and tear gas is on 24 hours a day.

[SamKnause]

10. I am not familiar with the incident from Salt Lake City.

Please keep us informed and post the video if you can.

[Bengus81]

11. Standing under that No Parking sign...........

https://www.abc4.com/news/salt-lake-city-riots/salt-lake-city-officer-who-pushed-down-elderly-man-removed-from-patrol-duties-during-investigation/

[SamKnause]

12. Thank you.

I saw that video several days ago on YouTube.

I think I saw clips on MSNBC and CNN but no commentary.

They were showing various clips from across the country.

It deserved its own commentary.

Thanks

[chia]

13. That made me so angry.

Remembering my departed dad who walked with a cane and had Parkinson's, you see this poor man trying to walk faster than is safe for him, and how after he was shoved down he doesn't have the strength to get up even with help from one person, it took two to help him up.

[HockeyMom]

18. My husband is 71

6'1", 225 lbs. and has Parkinson's. Big guy just like the old man in video. A couple of times I have accidentally bumped into him and almost knocked him down. I am 5'1" and 100 lbs. Imagine what a young, strong cop could do to him?

[chia]

19. You are, as a couple, similar to my mom and dad (both passed now). He fell a number of times,

he couldn't stop himself from falling and if he'd fallen on my mom, we'd have needed medical help for both of them. She'd call whoever was available, kids/grandkids, and we'd go over and help him up until even working together we couldn't do it, and we had to rely on 911. He just didn't have the strength to help us help him. I wish both you and your husband well, may you have many good times yet ahead, but please be careful, so you aren't injured yourself. <3

[RVN VET71]

25. The cop who did the pushing is trash, plain and simple

But the other police gathered around to help the man up. I think they were very surprised and troubled by what had happened. Don't know if the would have reacted the same had the man been black, but they did appear to show some humanity here, humanity that is completely lacking in the Buffalo incident.

And the Buffalo incident was arguably more aggravated and disturbing -- the man was lying half conscious on the ground with blood issuing from his ears. And the police response was was walk over him. Fuck them one and all.

[Bengus81]

26. To make it 100x worse in Buffalo is the rest of those cops resigned in SUPPORT of those rogue cops

from that swat duty or whatever they were on. Then their Chief or Union leader tried to claim the protester "slipped" then later walked it back. Those asshats haven't learned anything over the last two weeks.

I read yesterday where that guy is still in the hospital in serious condition. Haven't looked today.

[RVN VET71]

27. His condition is serious but stable

And the chief of the union outed himself as a freaking liar when he claimed that he'd watched the video and saw, I think he said "quite clearly", that the man slipped and fell.

I think Buffalo and other cities has to do what MPL is doing: abolish the entire police force and start all over from scratch. Sometimes the only way to rid the body of gangrenous rot is to remove the gangrenous appendage.

[chia]

14. So infuriating. "When someone shows you who they are, believe them..."

[obamanut2012]

15. It was the Guard who stopped and helped him

Not the fucking cops.

[Dawson Leery]

16. All of you are too kind. The cops are YELLOW!

[Coventina]

23. FTP & ACAB

[Judi Lynn]

28. Two Buffalo policemen charged for shoving 75-year-old protester

2 hours ago

Aaron Torgalski, 39, and Robert McCabe, 32, pleaded not guilty in Buffalo, New York. They were released without bail, and face up to seven years in prison.

On Thursday, they were seen shoving Martin Gugino, who fell backwards on the pavement and started bleeding.

He remains in a local hospital in a serious but stable condition.

The two officers were enforcing a curfew in the city as a result of protests since the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis last month.



Aaron Torgalski (left) and Robert McCabe have been supported by their colleagues

Aaron Torgalski and Robert McCabe, members of the Emergency Response Team, were suspended without pay after footage of the incident outside the City Hall went viral.

More:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52952237

Be The Best.

[rockfordfile]

29. 75 year old man was almost killed by a pos