We work for buffalo
At Our City, we work for the people of Buffalo with a vision for justice and equity.
We do our work with and for the everyday Buffalonian; the Buffalonians whose family has been here for generations and the Buffalonians who are new neighbors.
We do our work for the hard working people of this City who have pride in their blocks, even though it takes a week for a plow to come down it.
We keep making noise in City Hall for folks who can’t take off work to raise hell with the rest of us.
We run our mouths and knock on doors because we know it is the right thing to do; that we have a right to our city no matter what the people in charge think of us.
Our history
In 2017, local organizers decided to found Our City Buffalo as a response to the influx of public dollars into the city from former Governor Andrew Cuomo's Buffalo Billions economic development program. In our analysis, it threatened to gentrify and displace communities of color, poor and working-class people. It was also a way to create a holistic, intersectional movement to address the city's most pressing issues: housing, policing, education, transportation, frontline arts, immigration, community economic development, and food sovereignty.
OCAB grew out of anti-gentrification organizing work. Learn more about the early days (and see many of our beloved members!) in this Laura Flanders special.
“Buffalonians are coming to terms with the fact that they must support each other and contest for power at the same time. It’s the only way they can meet the impacts of the climate crisis, on top of profit-driven development.”
Our campaigns
A Better Budget for Buffalo:
In our city, we know that what we spend money on shows what we care about. And we know that real change takes resources. We balance budgets everyday to keep our people fed, housed and healthy–why isn’t the City of Buffalo doing the same for us?
Annual Anti-Displacement Summit:
The Our City Anti-Displacement Summit is an annual all day event in which we invite our friends, partners and comrades to share their ideas, tools and tactics to make our city more just and equitable for all. It’s a chance for anyone who lives in Buffalo to come educate or be educated on issues that are affecting a lot of us who live in the city, and a chance to hear about people who are trying to make it better for all.
The State of Our City:
Taking place at the same time as the Mayor’s yearly address about the city of Buffalo, Our City’s the State of Our City, brings together local community leaders to talk about the real state of Buffalo—the biggest challenges we’re seeing, and how best to deal with them.
No money for Shot Spotter—We won!
In the spring of 2022, we worked to block BPD's request for an extra $500,000 to fund ShotSpotter–widely discredited surveillance technology. We successfully organized and won this campaign!
Intro to Small Business Food Program (2024):
In 2024, Our City Buffalo partnered with Cooperation Buffalo, Justice for Migrant Families and Pilgrim Saint Luke’s United Church of Christ for a first of its kind food service and business development course for migrant families.
This 4-month workforce and entrepreneurial program grew the skills of over 25 immigrants and refugees in food related businesses and industries, including information on incorporation, ownership models, community-building and resource-sharing. Participants in this program earned certificates to operate in commercial-grade kitchen during and after the program.
We look forward to continuing this important work with our partners in the future!
