Standing in Niagara Square with Republicans from across Western New York, Danielle Kijania recounted warm memories of her friend Amanda Thompson, who was shot dead in July. The accused killer is her ex-boyfriend, who was already accused of assaulting her in May.

Kijania, also joined by Thompson’s family, pointed squarely at New York State’s bail laws, changed to make it harder to hold or set bail for people accused of lower-level crimes, as the reason her friend is no longer with them.

“Bail reform, as it stands today, is failing those who need it most,” Kijania said. “It is giving dangerous individuals a free pass, and it’s costing lives.”

The news conference is the latest in the back-and-forth over the laws since they were passed in 2019 and went into effect in the beginning of 2020.

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