A Black Lives Matter protester who made headlines after he was tackled by police while marching in last summer’s racial justice demonstrations announced Tuesday that he is running for sheriff in Erie County, New York.
Myles Carter, who was tackled by the members of the Buffalo Police Department while television cameras rolled, said he wants to change policing by becoming a cop.
He will run as a Democrat for the position currently held by Sheriff Timothy B. Howard, a Republican who is retiring at the end of this year.
Mr. Carter’s campaign platform aims at reducing crime by reallocating jail funding to programs treating drug abuse, addiction, mental health and job skills training.
“We are dealing with a County Jail system that has been found guilty of murder and multiple counts of sexual misconduct,” he said in a statement. “We must put an end to this insidious culture that has been allowed to fester under current Sheriff Howard and begin working towards restoring incarcerated individuals back into our community.”
Mr. Carter gained national attention in July during a protest when he was suddenly tackled from behind by Buffalo police. The incident was caught on camera because he was interviewed by a local television news crew at the time.
He was later dubbed “an agitator” by Buffalo Mayor Bryon W. Brown, a Democrat.
Mr. Carter was charged with obstruction and disorderly conduct, although charges were later dropped.
The Buffalo News reported that Mr. Carter is among 10 candidates vying to replace Sheriff Howard.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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