The Buffalo Police Department wants the city’s new mayor to fire the city’s parking commissioner because its leaders believe he hates cops — but the only evidence for his supposed hatred is an Instagram story reposted by an organization he left in December.
The parking commissioner, Justin Booth, led the cycling advocacy group GoBike Buffalo for 18 years until January 2026, when he joined Mayor Sean Ryan’s new administration as Buffalo’s parking commissioner. His portfolio centers on parking policy, with some overlap into street design and pedestrian infrastructure.
On June 2, GoBike Buffalo’s Instagram account reposted an image, originally published by a Philippines-based account, that depicted a cartoon cat and dog embracing while standing next to two bicycles. The caption reads: “Life Is Hard But I Made Friends Through Biking,” followed by the simplified Chinese phrase 愿你平安 (roughly, “wishing you safety”), “Stay Safe 24/7,” “Always rooting for them,” and “1,312,247,365 ACAB.”…