Buffalo leaders and organizations work to end major downtown fighting

BUFFALO, NY — After a series of youth fights broke out in downtown Buffalo, Buffalo police, Buffalo Public Schools and Buffalo Peacekeepers are working together to stop it.

A fight broke out on Wednesday between at least ten youths. Two people were stabbed and taken to hospital. Both were students at the Burgard High School summer school.

Police said neither of them went to school that day.

Police are working with the NFTA to find a solution to the problem, which they say is partly caused by the bus passes that all students have. They are supposed to use them to get to school. But the passes allow them to go anywhere they want in the city.

“The bus passes allow them to travel wherever they want, which is obviously a problem because they can travel wherever they want,” Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said. “So we’re going to be talking further with the NFTA superintendent to see how we can address that and make sure these kids don’t go to school and then go home where they’re supposed to be.”

Pastor James Giles is the leader of Buffalo Peacemakers, a group that works with Buffalo children to stop them from fighting. He said it takes a collective effort to stop the violence, which sometimes requires efforts from students.

“They have to learn how to resolve conflicts, how to defuse a situation, how to avoid individuals who challenge them. They have to learn that,” Giles said.