Student journalist pushed by police while covering Buffalo, NY, protest

Grant Ashley, editor-in-chief of The Spectrum, the student newspaper for New York’s University at Buffalo, was pushed by a police officer while covering a May 1, 2024, campus protest.

According to Buffalo Toronto Public Media and The Spectrum, pro-Palestinian protesters marched through the campus that day and set up an encampment, part of a wave of similar actions at universities across the country.

University police, along with officers from the Buffalo Police Department, the Erie County Sheriff’s Department, the New York State Police and other jurisdictions, ordered the protesters to break down the encampment in line with a 2020 university policy and to disperse, The Spectrum reported. Fifteen protesters who did not disperse were arrested, including students and individuals not affiliated with the school, the university said.

Ashley told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was covering the protest for The Spectrum and also worked part time for public radio station WBFO. He said he was wearing a WBFO press pass when he arrived at the campus location where police were arresting protesters.

A video posted on the social platform X by The Spectrum shows a journalist, confirmed to be Ashley, filming the police arresting protesters. The journalist is approached by police, who can be seen pushing him and are heard telling him to move away from the protest.

Ashley told the Tracker that a Buffalo Police Department lieutenant pushed him and said, “Get out of here. Get the fuck out of here.” Ashley told the officer he was a journalist and showed him his press badge, but the officer said, “I don’t care.” Another officer said, “You had time to record all day.”

He said he tried to go back and continue filming but that the lieutenant said, “Hey, media guy, I don't want to see you over here again, or you’re going in cuffs. Get off the sidewalk.” At that point, Ashley moved away from the scene.

Ashley added that while he didn’t believe he was initially targeted for being a journalist, the lieutenant “certainly didn’t become any less hostile once I identified myself as a journalist and showed him my press pass.”

Ashley told the Tracker that after the incident, he filed a Freedom of Information Law request and was able to obtain the police body camera footage and identify the officer who pushed him.

The Buffalo Police Department did not respond to requests for comment.