Following Saturday's deadly shooting rampage in Buffalo, N.Y., a 180-page purported manifesto attributed to the suspect has surfaced, which outlines the shooter's motives, details how he had been radicalized and how he "planned to kill as many Blacks as possible," according to officials. The manifesto's author also wrote about something called the "Great Replacement."Sister station KCRA 3 's Brittany Johnson 'Gets the Facts' on what this theory is all about.What is the theory about?The theory has different iterations but in a nutshell, the "great replacement" theory, which is sometimes called "replacement theory," is the belief that your group is being replaced or extinct because another group is growing in number and you see this other group as a threat to your group's existence.The theory goes back centuriesAccording to the Anti-Defamation League, the theory goes back centuries but was popularized by French Author Renaud Camus when he published an essay titled, "Le Grand Remplacement" or "The Great Replacement" in 2011. The term was coined when Camus warned of "reverse colonization" and explained native White Europeans are being replaced by non-White immigrants from Africa and the Middle East. He believes this trend will lead to the "ethnic and civilizational substitution" of the White race in Europe and the West.Great Replacement Theory linked to Buffalo shooting The shooting in Buffalo, NY has been connected to this theory because it was repeatedly referenced in a 180-page document linked to the reported shooter. The author used racist, anti-immigrant and anti-semitic beliefs, and wrote about how he planned to "kill as many blacks as possible," according to NBC News.Great Replacement theory linked to previous mass shootings and terrorist attacks, here are a few:In 2019, a suspect investigators said subscribed to the great replacement theory killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. That same year the man suspected of targeting Latinos in an El Paso Walmart and who is on trial for killing 23 people, who authorities attribute a four-page racist screed that decried a Hispanic "invasion" of Texas and the U.S., and called for ethnic and racial segregation, also subscribed to the great replacement theory. The suspect in the 2018 shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue "made statements regarding genocide and his desire to kill Jewish people" during the attack, according to prosecutors. Eleven people were killed in the shooting in what the ADL has said is the "deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the U.S."Sister station KCRA 3 spoke with Assistant Professor Milan Obaidi of the University of Oslo in Norway, where he said the great replacement theory has also been used to carry out the 2011 Norway attacks. Obaidi researches violent extremism and radicalization. Sister station KCRA 3 spoke with Obaidi about a recent publication he authored with three other professors titled "The Great Replacement Conspiracy: How the Perceived Ousting of Whites Can Evoke Violent Extremism and Islamophobia."Q: What did you study in relation to this publication?Obaidi: In these studies, we looked at intentions to commit acts of violence toward another group. We didn't look at an actual act of violence, you know that is it clearly and practically impossible. In psychology we usually rely on attitudes, measuring people's attitudes and intentions. So yes, in these studies, we persistently found a link between the idea that your group is being replaced, and people's willingness to support or express extreme attitudes toward other groups. ... The implication of this theory is that it may legitimize violence, because it specifically portrays one group as being a victim of, of being under existential threat, and then it justifies violence as a necessary means to actually avert such threats. It {the theory} justifies the use of violence, because one group is being seen as a victim of being extinct by another or being replaced, and then violence becomes a means to actually prevent this. So, people who believe in this theory, do believe that they will be extinct and then they use violence to justify this or to avert this from happening.Obaidi: These studies were conducted in the Scandinavian context in Norway in Denmark. So, we basically looked at these in these studies, whether the perception that your group is being replaced by another group. With most of it, people also express negative attitudes, but also extreme intentions toward the group that they perceived as replacing their group. We used experiments, but also we run three surveys in these experiments. People are shown video clips of Norwegian TV where they were shown that in Norway in 20 years there will be a large number of this particular group of people and they will actually exceed the number of living Norwegians in certain areas in 20 years and then we were looking at how people would respond to this idea that their group will be shrinking and another group will be increasing in size. We found that the people who were in these replacement, treatment, or conditions also expressed more Islamophobic attitudes toward Muslim minorities in the regional context.Q: Is there always a direct link between believing in this theory and then carrying out an act of violence?Obaidi: It's also important to emphasize I think, that yes, maybe a lot of people believe in this theory, but not everyone would actually do something like, go and shoot other people. So there's not a not always direct link, because then we would probably have a lot of people going around shooting people. I think there are a large number of people who do believe and I mean, we know that the public, mainstream politicians, and media personalities, have touted these kinds of ideas. But it is so important to say that not every person who believes in it would do something such as going and shooting other people. Q: What is the discussion we should be having about this?Obaidi: A discussion would probably whether we see more of these kinds of attacks. Based on previous attacks, we know that there have been a lot of some of these attacks, they've been just copycatting other attackers, and they've been quite heavily inspired by previous attacks. And some of the tactics are quite similar. For example, the Christchurch attack, he was live-streaming his attack. And the same thing happened with the Norwegian attempt terror attack a couple of years ago in Norway, and we saw it Saturday in Buffalo. So there's clearly this group of young, certainly young people who are inspired by each other. My worry is probably, or maybe, a lot of people, whether we will see something similar because it is inspiring other people because this is what happened in recent years. I think that is probably something that most people are worried about these days.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday condemned the poison of white supremacy and said the nation must “reject the lie” of the racist “replacement theory” espoused by the shooter who killed 10 Black people in Buffalo.

Speaking to victims' families, local officials and first responders, Biden said America's diversity is its strength, and warned that the nation must not be be distorted by a “hateful minority.”

“The American experiment in democracy is in danger like it hasn’t been in my lifetime,” Biden said. “It’s in danger this hour. Hate and fear being given too much oxygen by those who pretend to love America but who don’t understand America.”

He declared: “In America, evil will not win, I promise you. Hate will not prevail, white supremacy will not have the last word.”

Biden's emotional remarks came after he and first lady Jill Biden paid their respects at a makeshift memorial of blossoms, candles and messages of condolence outside the Tops supermarket, where on Saturday a young man armed with an assault rifle targeted Black people in the deadliest racist attack in the U.S. since Biden took office.

In Buffalo, the president was confronting anew the forces of hatred he frequently says called him back to seek the White House.

“Jill and I have come to stand with you, and to the families, we have come to grieve with you," Biden said. He added: “Now’s the time for people of all races, from every background, to speak up as a majority and American and reject white supremacy.”

Replacement theory is a racist ideology, which has moved from white nationalist circles to mainstream, that alleges white people and their influence are being intentionally “replaced” by people of color.

“It’s important for him to show up for the families and the community and express his condolences,” said Derrick Johnson, the president of the NAACP. “But we’re more concerned with preventing this from happening in the future.”

It’s unclear how Biden will try to do that. Proposals for new gun restrictions have routinely been blocked by Republicans, and racist rhetoric espoused on the fringes of the nation’s politics has only grown louder.

Asked about gun legislation, Biden said at the airport, “It’s going to be very difficult. ... I’m not going to give up trying.”

Biden's condemnation of white supremacy is a message he has delivered several times since he became the first president to specifically address it in an inaugural speech, calling it “domestic terrorism that we must confront.” However, such beliefs remain an entrenched threat at a time when his administration has been focused on addressing the pandemic, inflation and the war in Ukraine.

In his remarks Tuesday, Biden paid tribute to each of the 10 people who lost their lives, describing them as model citizens, beacons of their community and deeply committed to family.

Three more people were wounded. Nearly all the victims were Black, including all of those who died.

The shooter's hateful writings echoed those of the white supremacists who marched with torches in 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia, a scene that Biden said inspired his decision to run against President Donald Trump in 2020 and that drove him to join what he calls the “battle for the soul of America."

Payton Gendron, 18, was arrested at the supermarket and charged with murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

Before the shooting, Gendron is reported to have posted online a screed overflowing with racism and antisemitism. The writer of the document described himself as a supporter of Dylann Roof, who killed nine Black parishioners at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015, and Brenton Tarrant, who targeted mosques in New Zealand in 2019.

Investigators are looking at Gendron's connection to what's known as the “great replacement" theory, which baselessly claims white people are being intentionally overrun by other races through immigration or higher birth rates.

“I condemn those who spread the lie for power, political gain and for profit,” Biden said, stopping short of naming those he believes responsible for perpetuating it.

The claims are often interwoven with antisemitism, with Jews identified as the culprits. During the 2017 “Unite the Right” march in Charlottesville, the white supremacists chanted “Jews will not replace us."

“These actions we’ve seen, these hate-filled attacks, represent the views of a hateful minority," Biden said.

“We have to refuse to live in a country where black people going about a weekly grocery shopping can be gunned down by weapons of war deployed in a racist cause,” he added. “We have to refuse live in a country where fear and lies are packaged for power and for profit.”

In the years since Charlottesville, replacement theory has moved from the online fringe to mainstream right-wing politics. A third of U.S. adults believe there is “a group of people in this country who are trying to replace native-born Americans with immigrants who agree with their political views,” according to a poll conducted in December by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Video below: Buffalo not politics, but 'need to uproot evil,' White House says

Tucker Carlson, the prominent Fox News host, accuses Democrats of orchestrating mass migration to consolidate their power.

“The country is being stolen from American citizens," he said Aug. 23, 2021. He repeated the same theme a month later, saying that “this policy is called the great replacement, the replacement of legacy Americans with more obedient people from faraway countries.”

Carlson's show routinely receives the highest ratings in cable news, and he responded to the furor Monday night by accusing liberals of trying to silence their opponents.

“So because a mentally ill teenager murdered strangers, you cannot be allowed to express your political beliefs out loud,” he said.

His commentary reflects how this conspiratorial view of immigration has spread through the Republican Party ahead of this year's midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress.

Facebook advertisements posted last year by the campaign committee of Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said Democrats want a “PERMANENT ELECTION INSURRECTION” by granting amnesty to illegal immigrants. The plan would "overthrow our current electorate and create a permanent liberal majority in Washington.”

Alex DeGrasse, a senior adviser to Stefanik’s campaign, said Monday she “has never advocated for any racist position or made a racist statement." He criticized “sickening and false reporting” about her advertisements.

Stefanik is the third-ranking leader of the House Republican caucus, replacing Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., who angered the party with her denunciations of Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Cheney, in a tweet on Monday, said the caucus' leadership “has enabled white nationalism, white supremacy, and anti-Semitism. History has taught us that what begins with words ends in far worse.”

Replacement theory rhetoric has also rippled through Republican primary campaigns.

Although Biden has not spoken directly about replacement theory, his warnings about racism remain a fixture of his public speeches.

Three days before the Buffalo shooting, at a Democratic fundraiser in Chicago, Biden said, "I really do think we’re still in the battle for the soul of America.”

___

Associated Press writer Karen Matthews in New York contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON —

The House moved toward swift passage Wednesday of legislation that would devote more federal resources to preventing domestic terrorism in response to the racist mass shooting in Buffalo, New York.

The legislative effort is not new, as the House passed a similar measure in 2020 only to have it languish in the Senate. But lacking support in the Senate to move ahead with the gun-control legislation that they say is necessary to stop mass shootings, Democrats are instead pushing for a broader federal focus on domestic terrorism.

"We in Congress can't stop the likes of (Fox News host) Tucker Carlson from spewing hateful, dangerous replacement theory ideology across the airwaves. Congress hasn't been able to ban the sale of assault weapons. The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act is what Congress can do this week to try to prevent future Buffalo shootings," Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., who first introduced the measure in 2017, said on the House floor Wednesday.

The measure seeks to prevent another attack like the one that took place in Buffalo on Saturday when police say an 18-year-old white man drove three hours to carry out a racist, livestreamed shooting rampage in a crowded supermarket. Ten people were killed.

The Democratic sponsors of the bill say it will fill the gaps in intelligence-sharing among the Justice Department, Department of Homeland Security and the FBI so that they can better track and respond to the growing threat of white extremist terrorism.

Under current law, the three federal agencies already work to investigate, prevent and prosecute acts of domestic terrorism. But the bill would require each agency to open offices specifically dedicated to those tasks and create an interagency task force to combat the infiltration of white supremacy in the military.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill would cost about $105 million over five years, with most of the money going toward hiring staff.

"As we took 911 seriously, we need to take this seriously. This is a domestic form of the same terrorism that killed the innocent people of New York City and now this assault in Buffalo and many other places," Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, who is sponsoring an identical bill in the Senate, said Wednesday. "The only thing missing between these organizations in the past are the white robes."

Senate Democrats are pledging to bring up the bill for a vote next week. But its prospects are uncertain, with Republicans opposed to bolstering the power of the Justice Department in domestic surveillance.

Republican lawmakers assert that the Justice Department abused its power to conduct more domestic surveillance when Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a memo in October aimed at combating threats against school officials nationwide. They labeled the memo as targeting concerned parents.

GOP lawmakers also say the bill doesn't place enough emphasis on combatting domestic terrorism committed by groups on the far left. Under the bill, agencies would be required to produce a joint report every six months that assesses and quantifies domestic terrorism threats nationally, including threats posed by white supremacists and neo-Nazi groups.

"This bill glaringly ignores the persistent domestic terrorism threat from the radical left in this country and instead makes the assumption that it is all on the white and the right," said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.

The divergence highlights the stubborn gap between Democrats and Republicans over domestic terrorism in the U.S. and how it should be defined and prosecuted.

For decades, terrorism has been consistently tied with attacks from foreign actors, but as homegrown terrorism, often perpetrated by white men, has flourished over the past two decades, Democratic lawmakers have sought to clarify it in federal statute.

"We've seen it before in American history. The only thing missing between these organizations and the past are the white robes," Durbin said. "But the message is still the same hateful, divisive message, that sets off people to do outrageously extreme things, and violent things, to innocent people across America. It's time for us to take a stand."

The Supreme Court could potentially expand second amendment rights as it takes a look at a New York law.

Currently, New York law requires people seeking a concealed carry license to show a “proper cause.”

In 2008, the Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to keep arms at home for self-defense.

Now a new case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association vs. Bruen, questions whether handguns can be carried in public for self-defense.

In order to conceal carry, New Yorkers must prove that they have a great need for the license and that they face a “unique danger” to their life.

Conservative justices are in favor of striking down the New York law, arguing that it goes too far and imposes a burden on the Second Amendment.

Some justices are open to considering to allowing New York to ban guns from crowded places.

Arguments were held in November, months before a gunman opened fire at a Buffalo grocery store and killed 10, and another opened fire at a Texas elementary school and killed 21.

A decision from the Supreme Court is expected in the coming weeks.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A 911 dispatcher has been fired for their handling of a 911 call from a person inside Tops during the mass shooting on May 14, according to an Erie County spokesperson.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said on May 18 that the dispatcher acted "totally inappropriate" when taking the 911 call and was placed on administrative leave pending a hearing. The dispatcher allegedly asked why the individual was whispering and Poloncarz said one of the parties hung up and ended the phone call. The hearing took place Thursday and the dispatcher has been fired.

An Erie County spokesperson released the following statement:

The firing of this dispatcher is in addition to another incident involving a different call taker who was fired for their actions during a 911 call on Sunday, May 22.

This story was first reported by WKBW in Buffalo, N.Y.

CNN —

NFL rookie punter Matt Araiza has been released from the Buffalo Bills days after he and two other football players were accused in a lawsuit of gang raping a then-17-year-old girl during an off-campus party at San Diego State University last year.

"This afternoon, we decided that releasing Matt Araiza was the best thing to do. Our culture in Buffalo is more important than winning football games," team general manager Brandon Beane announced on Saturday.

Araiza and two other current or former San Diego State University football players are accused of gang-raping the girl at a Halloween party last year, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday by the attorney for the plaintiff identified in court documents as "Jane Doe."

Araiza and his co-defendants, Zavier Leonard and Nowlin "Pa'a" Ewaliko, were on San Diego State's football team at the time of the alleged incident last October.

Araiza's attorney, Kerry Armstrong, told CNN Friday his client did not rape the accuser.

"The facts of the incident are not what they are portrayed in the lawsuit or in the press. I look forward to quickly setting the record straight," Araiza said in a statement issued through his attorney.

Jane Doe says she attended a party in the San Diego area with friends, but was separated from them when she met Araiza, according to the claim. The filing further asserts Araiza "could observe that Doe was heavily intoxicated" and "handed her a drink anyway."

"Doe informed Araiza that she attended Grossmont High School. Araiza, who was 21 years old, knew or should have known that Doe was a minor," the complaint says.

Araiza's attorney disputed the claim, saying, "He never used any force against her. She was not visibly intoxicated. He did not hand her a drink with anything in it."

The complaint says Araiza led the girl to a bedroom where "there were at least three other men already in the bedroom," including Leonard and Ewaliko, who were both at least 18 at the time.

"Doe was raped for about an hour and a half until the party was shut down. Doe stumbled out of the room bloody and crying," said the complaint.

The girl reported the alleged incident the next day to the San Diego Police Department and underwent a rape examination at a hospital, according to the lawsuit.

Nowlin "Pa'a" Ewaliko's lawyer Marc Carlos told CNN in a phone interview he sees some issues with Doe's credibility and the circumstances under which she reported the event. "The filing of the civil suit is clearly an attempt to put pressure on the DA to file a case," he said. Ewaliko is not enrolled at SDSU this semester, according to Carlos.

Zavier Leonard's attorney Jahmal Kersey declined to comment but told CNN they are aware of the lawsuit.

The San Diego County District Attorney's Office said the investigation is under review, but did not indicate when a charging decision will be made.

San Diego State released a statement saying it "takes allegations of sexual assault seriously," but was not able to release specific details on the case due to privacy concerns stating the allegations were still under "active university investigation." The statement said further a violation of the university's student code of conduct could potentially result in "suspension, dismissal or expulsion."

The Buffalo Bills were made aware of the allegations in late July when they were contacted by a representative of the alleged victim, Beane said in a news conference Saturday.

"The last 48 has been very difficult for a lot of people. It's been tough, and we sympathize with this whole situation, all the parties involved," Beane said.

"Ultimately, this is a legal situation. We don't know all the facts and that's what makes it hard, but at this time we just think it's the best move for everyone to move on from Matt and let him take care of this situation and focus on that," Beane added. "So, we're going to part ways there."

As Dr. Kenyani Davis makes her rounds at the Community Health Center in Buffalo, New York, she is still trying to process it all, after a mass shooter murdered 10 members of the neighborhood she serves.

"It's a community that got affected, especially when you're talking about a hate crime," Dr. Davis said. "It was every emotion at once."

In the days that followed, her team got to work — something they have always done.

"If they needed us in a medical component, we were there," Dr. Davis said. "If they needed us as community leaders, we were there. If they needed us as friends, if they needed us just to create an open space, we were there." 

Across the city, other organizations recognized the need for mental health services, too. 

"We were in the crowd with the community in front of Tops praying, crying, just being there, an ear for them to to express themselves," said Melissa Archer, New York Project Hope program coordinator.

When it came to treatment, Archer, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, noticed people on the city's east side, made up of mostly Black residents, were hesitant to seek help.   

"People want to see people that look like them so that they don't have to explain certain things they feel," Archer said.

SEE MORE: What Buffalo, NY Is Like Two Months After Tops Mass Shooting

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, only one in three Black adults with mental illness receives treatment.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness say that's mostly due to socioeconomic challenges, stigma surrounding mental illness and mistrust of the medical industry. Black people are often victims of health care bias when those providing the treatment lack cultural awareness.  

"I think one of these things that this event has shed light on and empower people to do is to speak the truth," Dr. Davis said. "When we were there, we had people saying, 'We are angry at White people."

For community leaders in Buffalo, that meant offering more counselors with shared experiences and cultures. 

Part of the healing process means meeting people where they are, and for some mental health professionals, that meant setting up shop two minutes from where the incident took place.

The Buffalo Urban League team says the numbers have increased since moving into the neighborhood and making more Black counselors readily available, all thanks to temporary funding from FEMA through New York Project Hope.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of racial/ethnic minorities within the psychologist workforce more than doubled between 2000 and 2019, increasing 166%. However, researchers predict that increase will still be inadequate to meet the demands of minority patients.

In the meantime, doctors there say they'll continue to stand in the gap for as long as possible.

Newsy is the nation’s only free 24/7 national news network. You can find Newsy using your TV’s digital antenna or stream for free. See all the ways you can watch Newsy here. 

CLEVELAND — After monitoring Buffalo’s forecast for days, the NFL has decided to move the Cleveland Browns game against the Bills to Detroit because Buffalo expects to be hit with a massive snowstorm.

"Due to public safety concerns and out of an abundance of caution in light of the ongoing weather emergency in western New York, Sunday's game against the Browns will be moved to Ford Field in Detroit," the Buffalo Bills tweeted.

The Bills added that the kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m., WKBW reported.

The team said details regarding tickets and other game day information will be "announced shortly."

Snow showers and squalls were expected for the tailgate and the game, with heavy snowfall forecast this weekend into the tailgate.

Temperatures are forecasted to be in the 20s in Buffalo, with wind chills in the teens. Snow totals are expected to reach several feet this weekend.

The last time the Bills had a game moved due to snow was in 2014. The team was scheduled to face the New York Jets at home, but the game was moved to Detroit.

With Sunday's game being moved to Detroit, WKBW reported that the Bills would be playing in Detroit twice in the same week as the team is scheduled to play the Lions on Thanksgiving.

This story was first reported by web staff at WEWS.

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (Video above: WKBW via CNN) —

As a deadly and historic blizzard barreled through Erie County, New York, last weekend, some residents found themselves in a dire scenario — stranded in howling snow with nowhere to go, their cars dwindling in gas supply with police unable to come to the rescue.

Among those trapped last Friday was Jay Withey, a mechanic in the town of Cheektowaga who had ventured out to help a trapped friend, but instead got caught in the snow himself. Over the course of the night, he would be turned away by several people he begged for help, eventually committing a final act of desperation to save himself and more than 20 others from the brutal storm.

His night began at 6 p.m. when he got a call from a friend who had become stuck in the quickly mounting snow.

"He said I'm the only person he knew that would come over so I figured I would go get him," Withey said.

Withey drove toward his friend, weaving between abandoned vehicles that littered the road. Suddenly, he saw a young man named Mike walking in sneakers and wrapped in a light jacket. He told Mike to hop in the truck to escape the cold.

As he drove past snow drifts several feet tall, Withey said, his truck became stuck twice. The first time, he was able to shovel his way out, but the second time felt hopeless.

"I'm trying to dig myself out, but the snow is coming down just as fast as I'm shoveling," he said. With his clothes soaking wet and only a quarter of a tank of fuel left, Withey started to grow concerned.

'I'm fearing for my life'

Leaving Mike in the truck, he began knocking on the doors of houses lining the street to see if anyone would give them shelter.

Withey said he went to 10 households, offering each $500 to spend the night on their floor. All of them turned him away. "I plead with them, 'Please, please can I sleep on the floor, I'm in fear for my life,' and they say, 'No I'm sorry'," he said.

Feeling defeated, Withey tried to walk back to his truck but became lost in the blustery wind and thick snow.

"My vision is getting foggy, my body is cramping up, and I'm fearing for my life," he said.

Finally, he saw a light glint in the distance, the same blinking light he remembered parking his truck next to.

After marching back to the truck, Withey called the police but was told that due to the dangerous storm conditions, they couldn't come to rescue him, he said. He also learned that the friend who had called him for help had been rescued by authorities.

With the gas running precariously low, Withey was concerned, but tired, so he tried to take a nap.

At around 11 p.m., he heard a knock at the car window and opened the door to find Mary, an elderly woman who said she had been stuck in her car since 4 p.m. and needed help. He told her to get in the truck, too.

'I didn't leave until I made sure everyone was OK'

By the next morning, Withey's truck had run out of gas, leaving the trio to huddle in Mary's van, which was also running low on fuel.

Eventually, Mary needed to use the bathroom. It was then that Withey, sensing she felt embarrassed, looked at his phone's GPS and noticed that a school — EDGE Academy — was nearby, he said.

"I say, 'I'm going to that school, and I'm going to break into that school, because I know they have heat and a bathroom,'" he said.

Using an extra set of brake pads, Withey smashed through a window of the school so he could open the front door and let Mike and Mary in, with the security alarm blaring.

"I walk outside in the immediate area and there are a lot of older people that are stranded in their cars," Withey said. "One person had a dog, and I get them all into the school. At this point, I have about 10 people in the school." He estimated their ages ranged between 20s and 70s.

With the group settled in the school, Withey scavenged for cereal and apples in the cafeteria, managed to turn off the alarm, and found mats in the gym for everyone to sleep on.

"Everyone is just so happy to be in the school and to be warm and have food," he said.

On Christmas morning, Withey and the others were able to use snow blowers from the janitor's closet to free their cars from the mounds of snow.

'I had to do it to save everyone'

Withey, who describes himself as a religious man, said he views the whole ordeal as a blessing in disguise. If just one person had taken him up on his plea for shelter that night, he would not have saved all those people, he said.

One man who turned him away saw Withey snow blowing the cars and approached him in tears to apologize, saying he couldn't sleep that night knowing he had denied Withey shelter.

Withey stayed at the school until 8 p.m. on Christmas. "I didn't leave until I made sure everyone was OK," he said, adding that they started a group chat to stay in touch.

Before he left, he made sure to leave a note apologizing for the break-in, which police found when they were eventually able to respond to the alarm Withey set off when he entered the school.

"To whomever it may concern, I'm terribly sorry about breaking the school window and for breaking in the kitchen," it read. "Got stuck at 8 pm Friday and slept in my truck with two strangers, just trying not to die," it continued. "There were 7 elderly people also stuck and out of fuel. I had to do it to save everyone and get them shelter and food and a bathroom." He signed the letter, "Merry Christmas Jay."

Cheektowaga Police were able to find Withey with the public's help after sharing his note and surveillance camera images.

Police Chief Brian Gould told CNN that Withey was in a section of town that they were having a hard time getting to. The chief called Withey's actions heroic and an example of the sense of community among people in the area.

"We were absolutely shocked to see that he had over 20 people in the school (and) two dogs," he said.

"Not only a heroic action, but just an overall good person." "He definitely saved some lives that day," Gould said.

There's new attention on ensuring an automatic external defibrillator, also known as an AED, is accessible in youth sports.

An AED helped save Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin's life when he went into cardiac arrest during a Monday Night Football game.

Sudden cardiac arrest is the number one killer of student-athletes.

Research shows that having an AED on-site increases someone's chance of survival from 8% to 80%.

Craig Goldenfarb runs the nonprofit organization Heart in the Game, which donates AEDs to venues that host youth sports.

He said money is just one of the major obstacles preventing organizations and schools from acquiring AEDs.

"Just like a fire extinguisher, you have to maintain it," he said. "You got to keep the batteries live. You got to keep the electrodes live."

He also notes that policies about where and how AEDs are stored have to be in place.

However, help could come from a bill moving through Congress. The Access to AEDs Act would allow the Department of Health and Human Services to give grants to institutions that put AEDs in schools.

Sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes is usually caused by an undiagnosed heart condition, according to the Sports Institute.

Craig said parents should be proactive to protect their children.

"When you go to your pediatrician, ask them if they have an EKG machine because that will catch any abnormality," he said. "It's not part of a normal routine, physical for a child, but it should be."

BUFFALO, N.Y. —

Starbucks workers have voted to unionize at a store in Buffalo, New York, over the company’s objections, pointing the way to a new labor model for the 50-year old coffee giant.

The National Labor Relations Board said Thursday that workers voted 19-8 in favor of a union at one of three locations in Buffalo. The board is still counting votes for two other stores.

If the labor board certifies the vote — a process expected to take about a week — it would be the first for any Starbucks-owned store in the U.S. to unionize. Starbucks has actively fought unionization at its stores for decades, saying its stores function best when it works directly with employees.

Workers watching the vote count over Zoom on a big screen at a union office in Buffalo erupted into cheers and chants of “Elmwood, Elmwood, Elmwood!" when the results of that location were announced, jumping up and down and hugging each other.

Workers at all three stores began voting by mail last month on whether they wanted to be represented by Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union.

The National Labor Relations Board began counting ballots Thursday from union elections held at the stores. Around 111 Starbucks workers were eligible to vote by mail starting last month.

“Yes” votes could also accelerate unionization efforts at other U.S. Starbucks stores. Already, three more stores in Buffalo and a store in Mesa, Arizona, have filed petitions with the labor board for their own union elections. Those cases are pending.

Union backers at the first three Buffalo stores filed petitions with the labor board in August seeking representation by Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union. Those workers say Starbucks’ stores had chronic problems like understaffing and faulty equipment even before the pandemic. They want more input on pay and store operations.

“We have no accountability right now. We have no say,” said Casey Moore, a union organizer who has been working at a Buffalo-area Starbucks for around six months. “With a union we will actually be able to sit down at the table and say, `This is what we want.’”

Starbucks insists its 8,000 company-owned U.S. stores function best when it works directly with its employees, which it calls “partners.” Many employees in the Buffalo area work at more than one store depending on demand, Starbucks says, and it wants to have the flexibility to move them between stores.

Starbucks asked the labor board to hold one vote with all 20 of its Buffalo-area stores, but the board rejected that request, saying store-by-store votes were appropriate under labor law.

In a letter to Starbucks’ U.S. employees this week, Starbucks President and CEO Kevin Johnson reiterated the company’s wish to include all Buffalo-area stores in the union vote.

“While we recognize this creates some level of uncertainty, we respect the process that is underway, and independent of the outcome in these elections, we will continue to stay true to our mission and values,” Johnson wrote.

Johnson also reminded employees of the company’s generous benefits, including paid parental and sick leave and free college tuition through Arizona State University. Late last month, the company also announced pay increases, saying all its U.S. workers will earn at least $15 — and up to $23 — per hour by next summer.

But backers of the union say Starbucks can do more.

“If Starbucks can find the money to pay their CEO nearly $15 million in compensation, I think maybe they can afford to pay their workers a decent wage with decent benefits,” said U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, in a recent Twitter post. Sanders held a virtual town hall with Buffalo Starbucks workers earlier this week.

Johnson earned $14.7 million in salary and stock awards in the company’s 2020 fiscal year.

Starbucks or the union can contest individual votes in the election, which could delay the certification process by the labor board. But if the votes do get certified, Starbucks is legally obligated to begin the process of collective bargaining with Workers United and any of the three stores that vote to unionize, said Cathy Creighton, the director of Cornell University’s Industrial and Labor Relations Buffalo Co-Lab.

In some cases, companies have closed a location rather than deal with a union. But that's difficult for a retailer like Starbucks, since it would be illegal to close one store and then open another nearby, Creighton said.

Starbucks has shown a willingness to bargain outside the U.S. In Victoria, Canada, workers at a Starbucks store voted to unionize in August 2020. It took Starbucks and the United Steelworkers union nearly a year to reach a collective bargaining agreement, which was ratified by workers in July.

The union votes come at a time of heightened labor unrest in the U.S. Striking cereal workers at Kellogg Co. rejected a new contract offer earlier this week. Thousands of workers were on strike at Deere & Co. earlier this fall. And the U.S. labor board recently approved a redo of a union vote at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama after finding the company pressured workers to vote against the union.

Labor shortages are giving workers a rare upper hand in wage negotiations. And Dan Graff, director of the Higgins Labor Program at the University of Notre Dame, said the pandemic gave many workers the time and space to rethink what they want from their jobs.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — It’s all about hair care at one particular hair salon in Buffalo.

High Klass Hair Salon is where you'll find Christina Bishop, who also started a new​ business this month with her 7-year-old son.

"Our new business venture is Kyle Jackie Hair Care," said Bishop.

And who is Kyle?

"Kyle is my boss. It’s great working for him. He’s an amazing boss," said Christina.

You could say they're pretty close. Kyle Bishop-Winfield is her 7-year-old son.

Kyle Jackie's Hair Care

“I sell hair care products...hair care products for boys only. Because I was tired of using girl products," said Bishop-Winfield.

The pair would go to the store to get hair products for his long braided locks but found everything was pink or girly.

"So I’m like, okay, there’s a need for boys to have products designed for them," said Bishop.

The second-grader helped design the bottles and test the products.

And this business venture doubles as a tribute.

In 2017, Kyle's father passed away from a heart attack at 25 years old.

Christina Bishop

"Before he passed, he would always talk about how much he loves Kyle’s hair, so it was a thing, I was like I’m never gonna cut his hair," said Bishop.

That’s the inspiration behind his non-profit, Kyle’s Gifts from Heaven. Some of the money made from products goes to buy gifts for other children who have lost parents.

"Each year, we gift children some of the specific gifts on their Christmas list from their parents in heaven," said Bishop.

Kyle's Gifts from Heaven

This way, his dad stays involved in his progress. He's even immortalized on the label of his non-profit.

This pair hopes the all-natural products instill confidence in boys everywhere, including Kyle.

"It’s a more enjoyable experience. He enjoys getting his hair done because it’s his products, it’s for boys, and he created it," said Bishop.

Those products do say for boys only, but they’ve had adults, girls, and all kinds of people buy and use the products.

You can check out the whole range by clicking here.

Taylor Epps at WKBW first reported this story.

WYOMING, Ohio — Wyoming junior tailback CJ Hester doesn't think twice about enjoying a Kit Kat and a blue Gatorade in the locker room about 30 minutes prior to every game this season.

"It's funny because it's a Kit Kat and a Gatorade — you wouldn't expect that on game day," Hester said with a smile before practice Tuesday afternoon.

"But, I've always been doing that for games, and I've been doing fine — like very good — so I was like, 'I need to have that.'"

There is certainly no reason to change the pre-game snack for Hester, who has rushed for 775 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Cowboys (4-0, 1-0 Cincinnati Hills League), who play at Reading (4-0, 2-0 CHL) Friday night.

"CJ is a tremendous kid," Wyoming coach Aaron Hancock said. "A great young man. He's got a great head on his shoulders, a lot of physical attributes that are off the charts. But just the passion and the desire to be the best that he can be is second to none."

RELATED: Sign for our new high school sports newsletter
Join the Cincinnati area high school sports Facebook group

Hester, who is listed at 5 feet, 11 inches and 185 pounds, showed his versatility on the field last week when he scored all of the Cowboys' points in a 30-0 win over visiting rival Indian Hill.

Hester had three rushing touchdowns, converted three two-point conversions, and scored on a 25-yard fumble recovery for the Cowboys, who shut out Indian Hill for the first time since 2001.

Mike Dyer/WCPO

"He's got a passion for football," Hancock said. "Just a competitor in all phases. Wants to be the best in everything that he does. I think that can kind of transcend all the way down to your program. Kids see that and want to be a part of that and want to really better themselves along the same lines."

Besides Hester's main duties in the backfield, he also returns kicks and punts and plays safety. He's had 30 or more carries in three games this season and may see up to 40 reps offensively and up to 50 reps on defense.

"He leads us," Wyoming offensive coordinator Keith Jordan said. "He's a kid who wants the ball in his hands every chance he can. He never asks out."

Wyoming running backs coach DeShawn Wynn, a former Reading High School star who won a national title at the University of Florida before his NFL career, is very impressed by Hester's work ethic.

"Throughout each week he comes every day ready to practice and ready to get better," Wynn said. "Very coachable. Just a tough-nosed kid. He's all over the field."

Tim Wilking

Hester said he's learned to be a leader as a captain this season. He may not be the most vocal player at all times, but his goals are consistent.

"For the team, to be the best version of myself," Hester said. "Just push everybody. Make sure everybody's cool. Make sure everybody's grades are fine. My goal is basically be myself. Don't force to be someone else. Focus on me, focus on the team."

Hester learned some of those leadership qualities as a freshman when he played with current University of Cincinnati quarterback Evan Prater, a 2020 Wyoming High School graduate.

Hester still talks to the former Ohio Mr. Football recipient and values what Prater brought to the program while Hester watched as a middle school student and then as a freshman.

Hester, who was a Division IV first-team all-state selection and Southwest District offensive player of the year as a sophomore in 2020, stays in the moment with a vision for success.

He has scholarship offers from Toledo and Buffalo and interest from programs that include UC, Purdue, Michigan State, Iowa, Iowa State, Duke, Vanderbilt, Stanford and Bowling Green.

Hester said the expectations at Wyoming never waver, and that's something he doesn't take lightly, whether at home or on the road. Wyoming has won 51 consecutive regular-season games — the top mark in Ohio for that team category.

"The tradition is incredible," Hester said. "To be a Cowboy is very important. We really embrace it. We love the field. We protect the field. We do anything for each one of us."

Buffalo, N.Y. (WKBW) -- For 12-year-old Thomas Rizzone, his summer has been full of video games and sewing.

“I like to give the dogs what they need; they shouldn’t not get love that every other pet has that has a home,” Rizzone said.

Rizzone and his grandma, Bonnie Rendler, spent the summer making more than 40 blankets to donate to the SPCA serving Erie County, New York.

“I started doing cat blankets last fall and he liked what I was doing so much that he wanted me to teach him how to make them,” Rendler said.

“We are very excited that Thomas picked out dogs to make blankets for. It just proves that donors come in all different shapes, sizes and ages,” SPCA Communications Manager Bethany Kloc.

Rizzone just learned how to sew this summer, but he said it came easy to him.

“Like when I first started playing video games, Fortnite, I somehow was just really good at it,” Rizzone said.

His sewing doesn’t stop here. He said he is going to continue throughout the year.

Rizzone already has two cats, two dogs, two frogs and four fish tanks. He said he already knows how to train animals and is looking forward to working with them when he’s older.

“I’m really excited because I always wanted to have a sanctuary in my house. Like I want to have horses, cows, get them into a sanctuary,” Rizzone said.

Kloc said she loves that each blanket is different.

“This one has kittens and puppies; I think this is paw patrol. This one’s just kittens…so Thomas went all out and bought all different fabrics and they’re just adorable,” Kloc said.

Rizzone and his grandma said they’ll take any help they can get this fall, but above all, they want each dog to have a home.

“Adopt, adopt. That’s what he wants. He doesn’t want any animal at another place. He wants a forever home,” Rendler said.

“Not that this place isn’t good for them. It’s great,” Rizzone said.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo has been plagued with spontaneous violence carried out using illegal weapons.

Buffalo Police said shootings with injuries up 71% from 2020, and felony gun arrests are up almost 50% compared to last year.

"We have people shooting now that never shot before. We have people carrying guns now that never carried guns before," Pastor James Giles, president, and CEO of Back to Basics Outreach Ministries, said, "Out of 22 people, I have 19 of them raising their hands, saying I can go get a gun. We're talking about 14 to 19 years old. That's a dangerous sign."

Pastor Kenneth Simmons, old Spring Bible Church and Mad Dads of Buffalo, said these guns are being brought in from states like Ohio and West Virginia.

"They're not buying them from Dick's Sporting Goods. They're not stealing them from their grandmother. They're not breaking into people's houses stealing them. There are straw buyers, and there are laws that protect gun manufacturers. That's why we see so many guns in the street. That's why we see so many shootings because they're accessible," Pastor Simmons said.

Pastor Simmons said kids and teens get guns for protection.

"There's a lot of kids on the Eastside, west side, south side, north side of buffalo that are just out there fending for themselves. They're angry. They didn't ask to be put here. They didn't ask to be the child of an unwed mother. They didn't ask to grow up in an area that suffers from poverty," Pastor Simmons said.

It's the same level of protection members of Mad Dads of Buffalo wanted when they were teens back in the 1990s. The early 1990s were Buffalo's most violent years, and the City is tracking to top those years now.

John Smith spent almost 28 years in prison for a crime committed in the 90s. He said he started carrying a weapon back then because he felt he had no one to protect him.

"When I went from foster home to foster home, who was going to protect me then? When we were to the point, we were damn near drinking our own urine because we had nothing to drink; who protected you then? Where was the protection when you came out here, and the street lights were coming on, and people were going in the house, but you weren't?" Smith said.

Smith said kids carrying weapons now are just as broken as he was as a teen.

"When you say broken, it's beyond broken. You got a 12-year-old dude saying he wants to be alive," Smith said.

Decades later, some men responsible for record levels of violence in the 1990s have been released from prison and now are doing everything they can to prevent teens from going down the same path.

"It's why I relate. I was that kid," Gabriel Williams, a member of Mad Dads of Buffalo, said.

Lamarr Scott was let out of prison in May after serving more than 20 years. He said the flow of guns into the Queen City would never stop, so he's working to stop teens from pulling the trigger.

"By letting them know their lives are worth living and other individuals' lives are worth saving," Scott said.

"We're the last line of defense. When it comes down to saving these kids. If people can't see that, then I don't know what you're looking at," Smith said.

Mad Dads (Men Against Destruction Defending Against Drugs and Social Disorder) was founded in the 1990s by Dwayne Ferguson.

Olivia Proia with WKBW first reported this story.