By Maki Becker | Published in The Buffalo News, April 26, 2018 | Updated April 26, 2018 Judges impose money bail too often in Buffalo and the use of cash bail unfairly affects poor defendants who end up spending more time in jail simply they cannot afford to pay up, according to a new study by the …
Following advocacy by the Open Buffalo Justice and Opportunity Coalition and Partnership for the Public Good, the Buffalo Common Council has created a Community Advisory Body on Police Oversight, as reported in the Buffalo News this week.
We recognize the disbanding of the Strike Force as a major reform. We renew our call for three additional reforms critical to better policing in the City of Buffalo: expanded and mandatory community policing, disbanding of the housing unit, and an end to arrests for marijuana possession.
“They were started to be tough on crime and we know that’s coded language for policing black and brown neighborhoods,” said Natasha Soto, a co-founder of Just Resisting, a racial and criminal justice group that promotes the empowerment of people of color.
"A 2016 survey by the Partnership for the Public Good found that only 44% of black respondents in Buffalo reported that they would trust the police in an emergency."
This year’s public roll-out of the Community Agenda will take place on Friday, January 12th at 2pm, at the Frank E. Merriweather Library Auditorium, 1324 Jefferson Ave, Buffalo.
Recent events have underscored the importance of making changes to the laws, policies, and practices that govern policing in Buffalo. In recent years, PPG has published extensive research on policing and made numerous recommendations for reforms based on best practices from other cities. This week, …
Partnership for the Public Good welcomed 52 partners and 62 total community members to the first floor community room of the Market Arcade on December 15th, 2017. Their task? Vote on 21 different pitches to settle 2018’s “Community Agenda,” an amalgamation of policy planks that …
The Advisory Body will be made up of City Residents and will advise The Common Council on improving community & police relations.
The brief analyzes the last five years of data on arrests for low-level marijuana possession within the City of Buffalo and across Erie County, obtained from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. It explores the consistent racial disparities in arrests from 2012-2016, the …
"Authored by the Partnership for the Public Good, a local think tank, the study is intended to boost efforts at reforming New York's marijuana laws. Reform advocates say the costs of marijuana prohibition far outweigh the benefits, especially given the national movement toward legalization."
"Partnership for the Public Good, Open Buffalo and the Drug Policy Alliance are hosting a community conversation on the impacts of unequal marijuana prohibition Monday at 6 p.m. at 2421 Main St."