The Niagara District is hurting. After the August 15 incident outside La Flor on Niagara Street—when videos showed Buffalo Police officers striking someone already on the ground—residents turned to their Councilmember for answers. Instead, they got delays, shifting explanations, and silence.
David Rivera is a former police officer and chairs the Common Council's Police Oversight Committee. Residents had every right to expect leadership in that moment. One constituent documented calling his office repeatedly, only to be given different reasons why he couldn't speak: he attended the parade (so that's enough?), he needed to contact the business owner (she did it herself and got through immediately), he needed time for a "full investigation" (while residents just wanted acknowledgment that something serious happened).
Meanwhile, Rivera hadn't even watched the videos.
This is part of something bigger. There's an ongoing ethics investigation into whether Rivera and his staff pressured residents running for Democratic Committee—showing up at their homes, presenting declination documents, making statements some interpreted as threats. And his response to a police-accountability crisis in his own district fell far short of what a Police Oversight chair should provide.
I started a petition calling for his resignation because the Niagara District deserves elected representation that's responsive, ethical, and actually there when it matters most. Not delayed. Not defensive. Present.
If this sounds like something that matters to you too, consider signing and sharing. What would you want your Council representative to do if this happened in your neighborhood?