BUFFALO, N.Y. — They marched in front of the Buffalo Police Department Headquarters, holding signs calling for justice.
Protesters were unhappy after a report from the New York Attorney General's office, released Wednesday, did not call for charges to be pressed against the two officers involved in the death of Wardel "Meech" Davis in February.
The report found that Davis died of an acute asthma attack that might have been brought on after his struggle with police, but was an underlying condition. The report explicitly states that his death was not the responsibility of officers Todd McAlister and Nicholas Parisi.
The group gathered outside the police headquarters had different views.
"Officers McAlister and Parisi saw Meech walking down the street and decided to stop him without probable cause and now he's dead," said Natasha Soto, one of the protesters.
McAlister and Parisi were placed on administrative leave after Davis' death and were required to fill out incident reports as part of the Buffalo Police Department's investigation into the incident. But they invoked their Fifth Amendment right and declined to be interviewed by the Attorney General's investigators unless they could be questioned together.
"I do think that those officers should be fired," said Heron Simmonds, a member of the Western New York Peace Center's Racial Justice Task Force. "I think we need to change our culture and the way we do that is not tolerating this questionable behavior."
The protesters also call on the department to disband its strike force, a unit that targets high-crime areas, for what they believe are racist practices.
In the 61-page report, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman called Davis’ death “a tragedy, and we send our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.” He adds that the investigation “uncovered policies in real need of reform by the Buffalo Police Department and the Erie County Medical Examiner,” calling them “systemic issues” that need to be swiftly addressed.”
On February 7, Davis, who suffered from asthma, had an altercation with police after they were investigating a suspicious person. Police claim Davis tried to run away from them and repeatedly put his hands in his pockets after admitting to having marijuana. After catching and putting him in handcuffs, there was a struggle and Davis started showing symptoms of medical distress.
At that point, the handcuffs were taken off and officers began performing chest compressions. He was not given resuscitation because there was blood on his mouth, the report says. Davis later died while in police custody.
“The only witness to the physical altercation are the two BPD officers involved in it and there is no video evidence of the altercation,” the report says. Further, the report states that under state law, the officers were permitted to use force when arresting Davis while protecting themselves in response to his resisting arrest.
The report calls for the police department to work toward accreditation with the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services and to provide body cameras for officers and dashboard cameras in police cars. It also recommends the department's medical examiner should adopt nationally embraced standards of practice.