We ain’t going Nowhere! LOLA’s post 9/2 statement and overview

Sep 7

We are truly frustrated with the Common Council’s decision to approve the Zoning amendment., and with Council Member Mitch Nowakowski’s lack of acknowledgement of the 100+ residents of the Broadway-Fillmore community who petitioned against the facility.

Mitch Nowakowski has continued to move the goalposts for public input— one block club, which is led by a city hall employee, does not indicate widespread community support.

Important items during this meeting, pointing out issues with the zoning application and environmental studies, were also received and filed.

Despite our disappointment, we know there are still pathways towards victory. While this vote is significant, it does not mean we are ending the campaign. The city must go through several procedures before construction can begin and we fully intend to continue the fight against this facility.

Over the past few weeks, we are witnessing people power in this city. From residents starting their own petitions, to artists speaking out against the facility and community members having real dialogue about standing up against our corrupt city government, we are overjoyed to see it. As we continue this campaign, we are excited to see the people's power turn into action. We will continue to update everyone on our socials and our newsletter about next steps.

See the overview of items from the 9/2/2025 Common Council meeting:

The following items were submitted and included on the agenda in regards to the police training facility and shooting range at 379 Paderewski. We’ve also highlighted some items that are related to the policing. Most of these items were received and filed.

Zoning amendment
- Adopted (passed)
- Two councilmembers voted in the negative: Councilmembers Wyatt and Halton-Pope. Councilmember Leah Halton Pope told NPR news that she voted in the negative after a block club in her district expressed opposition to the project.
- Under “legislation”: #25:25-1355
A negative declaration on the SEQR for the police training facility project was submitted. This overviews inadequacies in the SEQR of the project.
- We believe this item was received and filed, but we are still reviewing documentation from the city.
- Under “miscellaneous’: #96: 25-1492
An item submitted by M. Austin pointed out the inadequacies of the zoning application form.
- Received and filed
- Under “petitions”: #102: 25-1498
An item submitted by B. Borncamp that requested a meeting of the police oversight committee in regards to the police training facility.
- Received and filed.
- Under “petitions”: #103: 1499
The petition submitted by Brian Borncamp containing a petition of a little over 100 names/addresses/signatures from Broadway-Fillmore residents opposing the facility.
- Received and filed.
- Under “petitions”: #104: 1500

Other items which are relevant and related to policing and the campaign are also noted below:

An item requesting BPD contract with Dataminr, an AI surveillance company that is used by the Israeli Defense Forces on the people of Gaza.
- We are unsure what happened with this item.
- Under “police”: #29: 25-1434
Councilmember Nowakowski put in an item, a letter addressed to police commissioner, to address the behavioral health crisis, specifically incidents of overdoses in the Broadway-Fillmore area.
- This item was sent to the police oversight committee.
- Under “Community Development”: #20:25-1244

See full agenda from the meeting here: 2025/09/02 02:00 PM Common Council Regular Meeting - Web Outline - The City of Buffalo, NY

Video of the meeting can be found on Buffalo Common Council’s Facebook page. However, it appears some parts of the meeting were not posted.