What began as a celebration of community and culture last weekend has since prompted criticism of Buffalo Police and calls for answers. Videos circulating on social media appear to show a confrontation between officers and people outside La Flor Bakery following Saturday’s Puerto Rican and Hispanic Day Parade.
Buffalo Police said Monday that five people were arrested after officers attempting to disperse a crowd were allegedly assaulted. Community members continue to seek answers while local city officials and law enforcement conduct investigations.
What happened
According to a statement released by the Buffalo Police Department, officers attempted to disburse what they called an "unlawful gathering" outside La Flor Bakery, 544 Niagara Street, on Aug. 15. Police say one person grabbed an officer’s duty belt, another officer was struck in the head with a bottle and a second suffered a broken hand. Five people were arrested, including La Flor owner Enrique Sexto.
Following the arrest, bystanders began posting videos to social media sparking debates about officers' use of force and why the post-parade gathering was considered unlawful.
In a statement to BTPM News, Timothy Richards, Senior Special Assistant
to BPD Commissioner Erika Shields, said letters were sent to 47 businesses along the parade route ahead of the event advising them that sidewalks had to remain clear and businesses had to follow their permitted uses.
"Community Police Officers then went directly to some specific businesses where there have been issues in the past, including La Flor Bakery at 544 Niagara Street. Community Police Officers spoke directly with the owner of La Flor Bakery prior to Saturday’s event," Richards said, adding that there had been issues with the bakery in previous years.
BPD says La Flor was the only business Saturday that ignored those notices, operated without a permit and created pedestrian and sidewalk overcrowding concerns.
Police say officers then instructed the bakery to close for the day.
La Flor Bakery said Saturday’s confrontation with Buffalo Police followed years of what it describes as unusually heavy police scrutiny during the Puerto Rican and Hispanic Day Parade.
In a Facebook statement, the bakery said Sexto deliberately did not seek permits to sell food outside this year in an effort to avoid concerns about blocking the sidewalk.
“He did this specifically so that nobody could accuse the business of obstructing the public sidewalk," the statement said.
La Flor said customers waiting to enter the bakery were later confronted by a large police presence, and that before 4 p.m., Police Captain Marcus Rogowski ordered Sexto to shut down the business. The bakery said Sexto asked for an explanation and the basis for that order before the situation escalated.
La Flor added it believes the business has been treated differently since Sexto declined a proposed arrangement with parade organizers to operate a food stand at Niagara Square and contribute financially toward entertainment. The bakery alleges that in recent years, a camera tower and dozens of officers have been positioned near the business on parade day, with customers directed away from the area.
“A small neighborhood business should not feel targeted because it chose not to participate in a particular arrangement with a parade organization," the statement said.
La Flor said it supports public safety and law enforcement, while calling for fairness, transparency and accountability.
Community concern
Niagara District resident and community activist Glenaida Mercado attended the parade, though she was not present for the confrontation. She says she noticed tension between police and paradegoers as the event ended.
“I was down by Tops and as soon as the parade ended, the police were just on the megaphones, like yelling at everybody that it’s over, they need to get out of the roads," she said.
Mercado said videos of the arrests later prompted her to contact city officials seeking answers. She said she wants the city to release records showing not only what happened during the confrontation, but what prompted officers to approach the bakery in the first place.
“I want the body cam footage released first and foremost of all the officers there, but more than that, I want the call released; I want everything released that made the police go up to La Flor,” Mercado said.
She also expressed that the confrontation has heightened concerns she already had about policing in the neighborhood. Mercado, a Black and Puerto Rican mother of three, said the incident felt especially personal because it happened within her own community and during a celebration of Puerto Rican culture. She told BTPM News that seeing videos of the arrests left her questioning whether she and her children can feel secure in the neighborhood they call home.
“I have a juris doctor degree. I’m an attorney. I am a homeowner. I should not feel scared to exist in my community, to raise my kids in that community,” Mercado said. “And it’s honestly pathetic.”
Local government response
Niagara District Councilmember David Rivera tells BTPM News he has spoken with parade organizers and city officials and plans to meet with the bakery’s owner. Rivera, who has faced criticism from some community members for not speaking publicly sooner, is urging people to wait for more information before reaching conclusions.
“Emotions are high, and I ask that they bear with us until an investigation is completed before they reach any assumptions," he said. "I know on social media people make assumptions without having information, so that's a concern.”
Rivera, who chairs the Common Council’s Police Oversight Committee, said he understands why the incident has heightened concerns in the community, citing a history of mistrust between residents — especially within Black and Brown communities — and law enforcement. Rivera said strengthening that relationship has been a central focus of the committee.
“My goal is to develop trust between the police department and the general public,” Rivera said. “As chair of the police oversight, that has been our number one goal. We want the public to trust the Buffalo Police Department and to be partners.”
A former Buffalo Police officer of 25 years, Rivera said that protocols and procedures under which police declare a gathering unlawful and begin physically disbursing people can vary depending on circumstances.
"Each case is separate because you don't know what triggers what causes a disturbance," he said. "There might be different in terms of tone, in terms of attitude, in terms of escalation and de-escalation. Everyone is different."
Rivera said body cam footage should be released, if warranted. He also added that he's been in contact with Deputy Mayor Eugenio Russi, whose duties include overseeing the police department. A representative of City Hall told BTPM News that Mayor Sean Ryan's administration has no comment on the incident.
