Baltimore’s experience is a cautionary tale for Kansas City

Count Kansas City fortunate — so far. Our city has been proactive for years in working to avoid the kind of turmoil that is roiling Baltimore after a 25-year-old black man, Freddie Gray, died in police custody.

This is, however, no time for self-congratulation. As incidents have shown in Ferguson, Mo., Cleveland, Los Angeles and North Charleston, S.C., a sudden event can turn a city upside down in a flash.

Much of the spotlight after police shootings focuses on the role of local law enforcement within a city. On that subject, Kansas City seems to be in a good, not perfect, place.

The Police Department under Chief Darryl Forté has spent the last few years striving to improve relations with minority residents who live in central city areas most affected by high murder and violent crime rates. They share a common goal: building safer neighborhoods.

Forté, the city’s first black chief, rightly has pointed out for years that hiring more black officers can help the department in this cause. He and others on the force talk constantly to neighborhood leaders and others about working with the police to prevent and solve crimes.

In another positive development, the department as well as the Jackson County prosecutor’s office and federal officials are involved in a meritorious program called Kansas City No Violence Alliance, NOVA for short. The premise is to track potential or known troublemakers in some of the most dangerous neighborhoods. Part of the time is spent informing them of the consequences if they break the law.

But the officials — as they discussed last week in conversations with residents of neighborhoods near Prospect Avenue — also provide access to social services that can help build better futures for at-risk individuals who choose to seize those opportunities instead of the criminal lifestyle.

It’s worth noting that Baltimore’s police department has had an extremely contentious relationship with the minority community and other residents. A Baltimore Sun investigation found that the city has paid $6.3 million since 2011 to settle police-misconduct claims, covering almost 350 lawsuits. In a city with a 63 percent black population, most of the settlements have been with black residents.

While Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts is black, he is an outsider brought in several years ago from Oakland, where he encountered several problems and left a year before his contract ended. By contrast, Forté has served his entire career in Kansas City.

Both cities also have black mayors — Sly James in Kansas City and Baltimore’s Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. James has served since 2011, Rawlings-Blake since 2010. Both have actively worked to improve relations between the police and residents.

And yet, a piece of Baltimore still exploded in fury after Gray’s death, a cautionary tale for Kansas City.

Finally, taking a look at the broader picture, Kansas City leaders of all races must be laser-focused on efforts to improve the quality of life in neighborhoods where lower-income residents are concentrated.

That means continuing to improve the public school systems. It requires investing funds in neighborhood rebuilding efforts to create jobs and bring in needed businesses, such as grocery stores. One of the city’s longtime failings has been a lack of a strategic plan to eradicate housing blight and prod redevelopment.

We can be thankful today that we are not Baltimore. But Forté, James and many others still face plenty of challenges in building faith in the Police Department and a safer, more economically healthy city.

This story was originally published April 28, 2015 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Baltimore’s experience is a cautionary tale for Kansas City."