Latest News

October 5, 2020

Learning from National and Local Precedents for Participatory Budgeting

The city budget process in Buffalo has historically seemed opaque to many residents. Community involvement in city finances is often limited to casting their votes for council and mayoral candidates. But there are many ways to increase resident engagement in local government, including the budget …

September 25, 2020

2019 Arrest Data in Buffalo

This dataset offers some of the demographics and disparities of arrests in the City of Buffalo, based on arrest data reported by the Buffalo Police Department to New York State.

September 21, 2020

Ten Days Left to Complete the 2020 Census

There are ten days left to complete the Census at 2020census.gov. Happening once every ten years, the Census determines the demographics, funding and resources, and political representation for where you live. Do you want well-funded libraries, Head Start and free school lunches for kids in …

September 18, 2020

2020 Census: Tell us why you count!

Communities that don’t get fully counted in the 2020 Census will miss out for the next ten years. The Census counts. So do you. We're sharing a 2020 Census chalkboard on social media to spread the word that everybody counts. Tell us why you count, and why you've completed the …

September 16, 2020

WGRZ: "Groups fight for 50-a repeal to hold"

The Police Benevolent Association and Buffalo Professional Firefighters Association are going to court to request an injunction to prevent police and fire disciplinary records from being made public.

September 16, 2020

WBFO: "Motions to get involved denied, except for two, in lawsuit over Section 50-a repeal"

Oral arguments will continue next month in a lawsuit filed by the unions representing Buffalo police officers and firefighters, in their bid to halt the release of certain disciplinary and personnel records to the public. On Wednesday, all but two of several motions by parties looking to get …

August 4, 2020

Buffalo Common Council District Fact Sheets Now Available

While Census data is available for congressional districts, the U.S. Census bureau does not publish data for local political boundaries. We tried to fill this gap by creating a set of nine council fact sheets outlining key data for each district. This includes demographics, …

July 16, 2020

Local Experts Teach Buffalo Police Department Budget 101 Workshop

Watch the full workshop recording here. City budgets and police budgets are complicated beasts. To understand how much we—as a city—spend on policing, the Buffalo Co-Lab and PPG hosted a Buffalo Police Department Budget 101 Workshop.  Guest speakers included …

June 30, 2020

Buffalo News: "With guns drawn, DEA agents terrorize tenants, but the warrant names someone else"

By Matthew Spina | June 30, 2020  When police and federal agents raid residences, they don’t always get it right. Buffalo police in 2008 used a battering ram to force their way into a West Side apartment, and threatened a family of eight with firearms, one of …

June 23, 2020

Buffalo News: Another Voice - "Buffalo needs fast, far-reaching police reforms"

By Sam Magavern | June 23, 2020 In 2016, Partnership for the Public Good and Open Buffalo published a comprehensive report on policing, titled “Collaboration, Communication, and Community-Building.” The report included detailed information about the city’s …

June 19, 2020

WBFO: "Can Buffalo overcome its racial inequities? The answer isn't black and white"

By Marian Hetherly | June 19, 2020 Demonstrations erupting locally and across the world sparked by George Floyd's killing have been begging for a resolution to the racial inequities between blacks and whites. Buffalo, itself, has sat near the top of most-segregated cities …

June 18, 2020

Message to Common Council: Eliminate 2018 Traffic Fees and Address Unequal Traffic Enforcement in Buffalo

The Fair Fines and Fees Coalition, Partnership for the Public Good, and the African American Health Equity Task Force sent a letter to the Common Council urging a repeal of 13 new fees related to traffic violations that the City of Buffalo added in 2018. A repeal of the fees is essential for …