Buffalo, N.Y., community demands Justice for Pito!

Three Black and Brown men have been shot to death by Buffalo police since last year, and the community is outraged. A rally to demand #JusticeForPito was held in front of Buffalo’s City Hall on Sept. 28. The family of Rafael “Pito” Rivera, the latest victim of killer cops, gathered supporters from community and activist groups and called for a continuing campaign — #cantstopwontstop — to force the police department to hold murdering cops accountable.

A video of the shooting clearly shows: “Pito was running away from police, who were running behind him,” the family’s attorney, Steve Cohen, told Investigative Post. “They shot him in the back once. He fell and got up. They shot him in the back a second time. He fell down dead. … There could be no interpretation of that video that [concludes] Mr. Rivera was pointing a gun at the police when he was shot [or that] … he posed any danger to the police.” (investigativepost.org, Sept. 14)

Family, community members and activists alike agree with Cohen’s argument that “if the Buffalo police consider this a righteous shoot, then no one is safe.” On Sept. 28, they affirmed that if there is no justice for Pito, there will be no peace!