Huge Fight Leads To Massive Police Response In Buffalo, NY

Yesterday a fight broke out in Lafayette Square that led to multiple police officers being called to the scene.

In March, the Buffalo and Erie County Library announced that they would be closing their downtown branch earlier in the day due to a surge in student fights that were happening.

Unfortunately, it's still happening on a weekly to daily basis.

For those who aren't from Buffalo, The Central Library is adjacent to Lafayette Square, which is where yesterday's fight occurred.

The city has taken steps to curb it, but the fights are still happening

It's not as if the city isn't doing anything at all to address the fights. Every day the Buffalo Peacemakers are in the square and at the entrance to the library.  They are a group that has been set up to help mentor youth and help lead them into healthy lifestyles. There is also a strong presence of Buffalo Police officers and on occasion Erie County Sheriffs there.

Why are there so many fights?

The fights appear to be happening between school-age kids.  It will often start out with what looks like a bunch of kids that are playing rough but before you know it, they will escalate into large brawls.  Sometimes they involve 20, 30, or more people.

Yesterday it looked as though there were anywhere between 50-75 people involved.  The police were doing their best to break up fights as they were happening.  As they began to focus on one fight, another would break out.  Some of them spilled out into the street as people were beginning to leave work.  At one point, there were about 14 police cars in and around Lafayette Square trying to regain order.

The video you see below is more about the aftermath of the fight.  Eventually, they all dispersed.