You're Invited to Behind The Badge: Being a Black Cop in the BLM

A lot has happened in our country since the Black Lives Matter demonstrations kicked off in 2020. Some of those protests engulfed Buffalo in 2020 and have led to a few changes in our city. However, there are some parts of our community that may have been impacted that we don't typically talk about.

A local community group asks how have these protests and demonstrations impacted black police officers and how they live their day-to-day lives.

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The Buffalo Urban League Young Professional is partnering with COPSS (Children Overcoming Police Stereotypes Through Sports), the Buffalo Chapter of the Afro-American Police Association, and Breaking Barriers Buffalo to discuss some of the experiences that Black law enforcement professionals have experienced. Additionally, minority police officers will be there to answer questions and share their challenges, professional and personal, that have come with these changes in our society.

This event will just touch on the duality of being both Black and a cop, having some people from your neighborhood look at you sideways, call you a traitor, how frequently cops are injured on the job, etc. It's a pretty nuanced duality that isn't really delved into often from the cops' perspective.
-Mark Overall, President of the Buffalo Urban League Young Professionals

This discussion will take place starting at 6:30 P.M. on Thursday, December 16, 2021, at the Delavan-Grider Community Center, located at 877 E. Delavan Ave., Buffalo, NY 14215.