I would hope that Buffalo authorities waive these fines levied on Bangladeshi mutual aid workers.

' Some 30 to 40 volunteers evacuated [more rhan 500 ]people during the blizzard, removing them from hazardous conditions and providing them warm shelter and food.

But they ran afoul of the travel ban and got caught in a ticketing blitz meant to keep drivers off the streets. '

#BuffaloBlizzard #MutualAid #TravelBan #Bangladeshi

https://buffalonews.com/news/local/bangladeshi-community-rescued-sheltered-and-fed-hundreds-affected-by-blizzard-and-racked-up-driving-ban/article_344297d2-8799-11ed-9935-7f850480b1b6.html

For those of you wondering if last week's #BuffaloBlizzard was the first instance of Byron Brown's seeming incompetence as mayor, my reply is: Far from it.

http://investigativepost.org/2022/12/29/is-byron-brown-the-worst-mayor-in-america/

For those of you wondering if last week's #BuffaloBlizzard was the first instance of Byron Brown's seeming incompetence as mayor, my reply is: Far from it.

http://investigativepost.org/2022/12/29/is-byron-brown-the-worst-mayor-in-america/

My landlord finally paid someone to dig us out, so I was able to go on a walk around my neighborhood today. It looks nothing like it did during and just after the #BuffaloBlizzard. It looks like a fairly normal winter day in my neighborhood. I want to emphasize that, because what I'm talking about in this post isn't a singular failure to adequately respond to a once-in-a-generation blizzard. I'm talking about Buffalo's repeated and regular failures to take care of its people.

Here's what Byron Brown, probably the worst mayor in the U.S., had to say about snow removal just prior to the blizzard: “That’s been talked about before. We’re not looking at that right now. It might be brought up by others, but to implement a sidewalk snow removal plan is going to cost the residents more money. There’s a cost to it. So if people want to pay for it, we can do it, but it’s going to be pretty expensive.” I hate Byron Brown.

Buffalo doesn't remove snow from sidewalks. Individuals do. What this means is that in order for you to be able to use the sidewalk, someone has to decide to make that possible for you. I want to talk about what that means. Pics and commentary in the thread below.

RT @TVTalkWithJWalk
As I’m observing on Twitter, Black residents in the inner city of Buffalo are have VASTLY DIFFERENT experiences compared to suburban residents. People on the east side are freezing to death. People in Williamsville are building snow tunnels in their driveways #buffaloblizzard

The ongoing humanitarian crisis in #Buffalo hasn't made the BPD any more empathetic.

On Sunday, community organizer Cariol Horn was assaulted by a BPD officer and arrested for disorderly conduct, obstruction of justice, and harassment after she advocated for the rights of suspects detained for looting.

Horne was fired from the BPD in 2006 after she physically stopped a fellow officer from choking out a handcuffed Black suspect.
#BuffaloBlizzard2022 #BuffaloBlizzard

https://youtu.be/224ZX-69sLs

'He was an angel in our community.' These are the stories of the victims of the #Buffaloblizzard
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/12/29/us/buffalo-blizzard-victims-stories/index.html

Unfortunately, while the CE and sheriff's office are walking back a harmful narrative (I can't believe I'm writing these words), the Mayor of Buffalo and BPD are doubling down.

"[The looting] is a problem. This isn't food."

Byron Brown was very adamant about this during yesterday's press conference. And also, none of this is his fault. He told people there would be weather!
https://fb.watch/hJQVgmNPbY/

#BuffaloBlizzard #BuffaloBlizzard2022

Naturally, when an unprecedented storm hits a segregated area like WNY, the fragile system collapses and the city's racist structural inequities are laid bare.

To quote the great Boots Riley, "if you press your ear to the turf that is stolen, you can hear the sound of limitations exploding."

#Buffalo #BuffaloBlizzard

Naturally, when a historical killer storm hits a segregated area like WNY, the fragile system collapses and the city's racist structural inequities are laid bare.

To quote the great Boots Riley, "if you press your ear to the turf that is stolen, you can hear the sound of limitations exploding."

#Buffalo #BuffaloBlizzard

Even Buffalo's highways were designed so white folks could drive to and from the suburbs as quickly as possible, at the expense of the East Side.

The history of the Kensington Expressway is nothing short of horrific.

https://www.segregationbydesign.com/buffalo/humboldt-parkwaykensington-expressway

#BuffaloBlizzard

WNY is one of the most racially segregated regions in the USA.

White people make up 76% of the Erie County population but only 45% of the City of Buffalo population.

There are enormous disparities in infrastructure, social mobility, and power.

https://ppgbuffalo.org/buffalo-commons/library/resource:a-city-divided-a-brief-history-of-segregation-in-buffalo-1/

#BuffaloBlizzard #BuffaloBlizzard2022

Credit where credit is due: Poloncarz acknowledged that things went badly. "If you need to blame somebody, blame me."

They also tried to walk back the looting stuff and emphasized that there were good stories, too.

Walking back the "looting and chaos" narrative is good, and they seem to have done some reflecting on this. But a lot of damage was done and an apology isn't enough.

I think the bare minimum here is a meeting with community leaders.

#BuffaloBlizzard #BuffaloBlizzard2022

Authorities keep framing their response in the context of a "once-in-a-lifetime storm."

That may be true. But from what I understand, Amherst and the Northtowns got the worst of it.

Yet most of the deaths happened in the City of Buffalo.

No one wants to address the elephant in the room: the sharp contrast in fatality counts between the city and the suburbs.

#BuffaloBlizzard2022 #BuffaloBlizzard

The Erie County authorities are basically just running press conferences for the suburbs at this point. No one in the city is buying what they've been selling.

The TL;DR on their narrative:
Buffalo is full of irresponsible chaos-agents and the authorities are Heroes working very hard to save your ungrateful lives, but you're making their job very difficult with your non-compliant ways.

#BuffaloBlizzard2022 #BuffaloBlizzard

Credit where credit is due: city leadership did pre-emptively inform everyone that two indoor pools would be closed.

Worth noting that Buffalo had no open public pools this past summer because the city government failed to train and staff lifeguards.

#Buffalo #BuffaloBlizzard

Here's a handy summary of the City of Buffalo's blizzard preparedness and leadership, courtesy of @torinrozzelle@twitter.com

Note how it all fits in one tweet.

https://twitter.com/torinrozzelle/status/1607468914241404928?t=oj_NY8Lrjc4RkXv9Ee-GDA&s=19

#BuffaloBlizzard2022 #BuffaloBlizzard

After days of shoveling out me and others from the #Buffalo #BuffaloBlizzard, I am doubling down on my meme.

Day 3 of #BuffaloBlizzard WaPo front-page:

“#Buffalo blizzard fuels racial and class divides in polarized city”
Gift URL: https://wapo.st/3WytUMM

Corrections:
• Buffalo driving ban lifted 9½ hours ago at midnight;
• Elmwood Ave, not Street;
• 37 county deaths so far.

FROM Lisa Haley BUFFALO BLIZZARD RESPONSE 2022 on FACEBOOK: If you are in dire need of baby formula, we have a limited supply that can be distributed to you. Please call 716-858-SNOW (7669) to request formula. The formula was donated by Wegmans and Erie County Sheriff's Office yesterday drove 6 hours to pick it up in Pottsville, PA and then drove back. #Buffalo #buffaloblizzard