Buffalo’s history of police violence created the conditions for Parker’s conviction.

Justice for Jonathan Parker has been on a long road towards freedom

In the 1990s, Buffalo endured a deeply troubling period of police violence, where brutality and misconduct were not isolated incidents but part of a broader culture of abuse. Community members—often young Black men—were routinely subjected to excessive force, intimidation, and life-altering harm at the hands of those sworn to protect them.

• Gregory Johnson (1992): Shot in the head by Officer Richard Lopez, Johnson’s death became emblema

  tic of the unchecked use of deadly force against unarmed Black men.

• Paul Mills (1991): A 19-year-old student, unarmed and fleeing, was shot in the back—his youth and vulnerability ignored in a moment that ended his life prematurely.

• Frank Nelson (1992): While already handcuffed and defenseless, Nelson was beaten so severely that he was left partially paralyzed, a permanent reminder of systemic disregard for human dignity.

• Derold Jamison (1992): Brutalized, nearly run over, and threatened with death by detectives, Jamison’s ordeal revealed how violence extended far beyond arrests—it was about silencing and terrorizing entire communities.

The same detectives who carried out these assaults, along with their close allies, later surfaced in cases tied to wrongful convictions, including that of Jonathan Parker. In Parker’s trial, witness intimidation and direct threats were not anomalies—they reflected a system where violence, coercion, and cover-ups worked hand in hand to secure convictions at any cost. This period cemented deep mistrust between Buffalo’s Black community and law enforcement, leaving scars that still shape calls for justice and reform today.

“Threats of death, beatings, and intimidation were standard tools used by Buffalo police in the 1990s.”