What the Buffalo Response to Last Week's Blizzard Really Shows

Following last week's massive blizzard that killed at least 34 people in Erie County, New York, and left many people stranded, Buffalo police certainly knew their priorities: investigating thefts at dollar stores and ticketing drivers, not recovery missions.

Emergency services were understaffed and there weren’t enough plows for the city of Buffalo. All over Twitter, people are reporting that the surrounding wealthier towns had their roads cleared while Buffalo residents were still snowed in.  The local Buffalo police have mini-tanks, long guns, dog units, and even tear gas. They do not, however, have track vehicles for rescue operations.  The State Police have them, but not enough to service the entire City of Buffalo in an emergency. Much of the equipment currently in use here was shipped in (during the storm) form places like Nassau County and Monroe County. 

According to Nate McMurray, a New York lawyer and local community advocate, Buffalo has never had a good plowing or snow removal plan For years, residents and commuters have complained about Buffalo’s snow removal policies. Even in mild winters the plowing policies are inadequate.  Buffalo's East Side (which is about 85% people of color, where the City of Buffalo is 40%, and Erie County is only about 13%) hasn't been plowed right for years. Former Mayor Griffin once said that he neglected plowing the East Side because people elsewhere "need to get to work."

With many Buffalo streets still unplowed, the police went to work—on punitive measures.  On the Tuesday after Christmas, Buffalo still had a travel ban in place, while surrounding communities were just under a travel advisory.  The local police (along with the National Guard and state troopers) were put into place to ticket people violating the travel ban-- that is,  people trying to leave after days being  trapped in places that might not be safe or secure, or might lack adequate food.

And the local police were all about investigating those dollar store thefts. “Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said the department has had to divert resources away from recovery missions because the crime that is occurring cannot be ignored,” WKBW reported.

”Cannot be ignored” is of course a statement of values. What the police are really saying is that they are there to protect businesses, not people in need of help. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it’s still a shocking brazen admission of priorities.