Black Lives Matter advocates are celebrating a win in Saratoga Springs.

“We’ve been out here 17 months putting our bodies on the line,” said BLM Saratoga organizer Lexis Figuereo. “Risking our freedoms.”

Attorney General Letitia James’ office announced this week it will investigate a number of arrests made this summer in the Spa City and whether excessive force was used on protesters.

“That sends the message that we aren’t making things up,” Figuereo said. “Wrong is wrong and right is right.”

Figuereo has spoken with the AG’s office for several months about the treatment of demonstrators by Saratoga Springs police. He was one of several people arrested earlier this year.

“We’ve been looking for the police to be held accountable,” he said. “At least be called out for the wrongdoings that they have been doing.”

John Aspland, an attorney representing the city, responded to word of the investigation with a written statement.

“The city takes these allegations seriously, and we will endeavor to work with the OAG to address these allegations and demonstrate the appropriateness of the actions taken by the members of the police department in response to the recent protests,” Aspland said.

“The number one thing is Darryl Mount. The case of Darryl Mount has yet to be investigated,” Figuereo said. “There has been nothing happening at all, we’re hoping the attorney general’s office looks into that as well.”

A community discussion Thursday night had been planned prior to the announcement from the AG’s office.

“Talk amongst themselves about what we’re seeing here in Saratoga, what it has meant to individuals to stand up and speak out and demand rights for everyone, not just some people,” said All of Us cofounder Jamaica Miles.

While BLM activists view the AG’s investigation as a victory, they say their work has just begun.

“The civilian police review board is something that is needed across the Capital District,” Miles said. “It’s so egregious that here in Saratoga, there is no review process whatsoever. And even in other cities, that process is hampered.”

Advocates championing reform measures such as this believe this will not only benefit the Black community, but the community as a whole.

“It’s about changing our prioritization to one that is restorative and commutative, and not one that is punitive,” Miles said.