BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan announced plans on Thursday to close Chippewa Street to traffic this weekend.
"It came to a head last weekend, but last weekend wasn't much different than all the weekends before," Mayor Ryan said. "It's Chippewa Street. It's not a Buffalo Bills tailgate."
WATCH: Chippewa Entertainment District bar owners blame loiterers, not patrons, for weekend violence
Mayor Ryan said patrolling has cost the City of Buffalo $1 million in police overtime and regular time.
"We want to have a successful entertainment district. But at Chippewa what we have now is a sort of a drinking fight club," Mayor Ryan said.
Bar owners told me on Wednesday that people loitering outside the bars, especially in the parking lots, are the ones causing the chaos.
WATCH: Mayor Sean Ryan announces Chippewa Street traffic closure, crowd control measures
Mayor Ryan also addressed a social media video showing Deputy Police Commissioner Craig Macy pushing a woman on Chippewa Street.
"The short social media clip doesn't look good. But here's what we know: it was a chaotic scene. There were multiple fights happening at the same time right in that proximity," he said. "We're canvassing the area. We're going to get more footage on it, but this will be investigated as any officer would be investigated."
Mayor Ryan said the city is still working out the details of its Chippewa Street plan for this weekend.
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