Tim Walton
Cheektowaga Police have surrounded the Galleria Mall to prevent protests and looting.
This move comes after hundreds of people gathered in Downtown Buffalo to protest the murder of George Floyd.
Floyd was murdered this past week by a now ex, Minneapolis Police officer.
The move is proactive, as there is currently appears to be no protester or looters in the area.
Malls in other cities including Rochester’s Greece Ridge Mall have become targeted by looters.
Downtown Buffalo’s protest started at 5pm downtown in Niagara Square and is still going on.
Despite hundreds of people showing up, the protest was mostly peaceful compared to other cities.
One streak of violence broke out for a moment after a car attempted to drive into protesters, but was stopped quickly and pulled from the vehicle.
(UPDATE 11:26pm – violence / fires have broken out downtown. Read here.)
SWAT and multiple patrol vehicles have also been mobilized near Walmart and Target.
See: Looters in Minneapolis break into Planet Fitness and begin working out.
