Protesters in Niagara Square on Monday demanded change after a man was shot by Buffalo Police during a mental health call. Over and over they chanted, "Say his name: Willie Henley.”

Rally organizers say it's imperative that de-escalation and nonviolent strategies are used to resolve a crisis when it comes to people battling mental health issues. They say it starts with the leaders inside city hall.

"They are allegedly trained in mental health responses as was at least one officer who responded to the call with Mr. Henley. They chased him, surrounded him and shot him, and that's a failure of leadership," said Miles Gresham, a member of Free The People Western New York Coalition.

Members from the coalition say they have tried to sit at the table with city leaders to address their concerns, but in their opinion, nothing seems to be working.

"When the mayor was asked what happened on Hertel, he said the protesters didn't have a permit. When the mayor was asked about Mr. Henley, he defended the police. So I think the mayor and police leadership are out of touch with the needs of the community," Gresham said.

During Monday's rally, community members also called to defund the police. The coalition is requesting that the city removes the Crisis Intervention Team and uses all funding from that to create a crisis response team independent from the police.

"Defunding the police doesn't mean less homicide detectives, it means that we spend less money on police to go out and respond to a mental health call because we have mental health professionals who can do it without a shooting," Gresham added.

The City of Buffalo and the police union reached an agreement last week to begin a Behavioral Health Team that will include a partnership with trained mental health clinicians on scene with police.

Community members say they want to continue to see the walk that comes with the talk.

"Don't just propose things and then not pass them or let them die in committee. Defend them, stand up for them, pass them," Gresham said.