First evening of protests in KC fairly calm, police say. Rocky start on Saturday, day 2
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said he was very nervous ahead of Friday’s protests at the Country Club Plaza and in Westport, given the images of destruction occurring at protests in Minneapolis, Portland, New York and Louisville.
Protests have fanned out across the country in response to the police brutality on display in the May 25 death of George Floyd, who was prostrated on asphalt by Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin, his knee to George’s neck for more than 8 minutes.
Friday’s protests in Kansas City appeared to have gone mostly well by various accounts.
“Overall, compared to major cities across the country I thought our protests went well, due in part, to our relationships with stakeholders,” said Kansas City Police Cpt. Dave Jackson in a email to journalists on Saturday.
Later in the afternoon Saturday, Jackson addressed a crowd and said he wasn’t expecting things to be much different Saturday night. Before the protest was scheduled to start, however, police had already used pepper spray and led two people away.
Police arrested five people during Saturday’s early morning hours for municipal offenses, such as disorderly conduct. Police reported that some in the crowd threw rocks and bottles, shattering the windows of three businesses and causing damage to police cars.
Pepper spray was dispersed on a crowd of some 50 people that police called “non-lawful protesters” at around 1 a.m. on Saturday.
Pepper spray was first used on protesters around 11 p.m. after a window was broken at Westport Ale House, 4128 Broadway Blvd.
Jackson said the crowd then picked up a traffic barricade.
“It appeared they were going to use the barricade to cause more damage. A few deployments of pepper spray encouraged them to stop the behavior,” Jackson said in an email. “They dropped it and marched back to the Plaza.”
Jackson said it was “unknown” if the spray hit anyone. A Star reporter who was in the area at the time observed protesters coughing and sitting on the ground after it was deployed.
But compared to scenes in other cities this week, where justice centers, broadcast network headquarters and police precincts, among other places, were badly damaged, Kansas City’s protests on Friday and into Saturday morning appeared to have gone relatively well.
Credit to police
Lucas credited Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith for checking in regularly throughout the day and to officers who “handled themselves exceedingly well during a challenging time for all.”
“But, my greatest amount of pride is in the peaceful protesters,” Lucas told The Star in a series of text messages. “My community’s pain is not a minstrel show. It’s a demonstration of passion and a desire for something new. I think what was conveyed by the lion’s share of protesters.”
Police said there was no looting.
But Benny Cardella, the owner of Plaza Hair Designs at 4640 Wyandotte, said barber tools were taken from his shop after the front window was broken.
More valuable TVs and artwork were not taken from his business, Cardella said.
Cardella said he was shocked when he received a call around 1:30 a.m. informing him of the events. He said he was disappointed because in the 39 years he’s been in business he’s made a point to welcome anyone who comes through his doors, regardless of skin color.
He said he thinks people not directly connected to the protests are responsible for looting.
“I still think people have a right to demonstrate. I just think there’s a lot of people who use them for cover to do things like this,” Cardella said, lamenting the latest financial blow for a business that’s largely remained closed during the coronavirus pandemic.
There’s difficulty in parsing out in the midst of a demonstration who participated to join the chorus of the protest and who showed up and took the occasion to cause trouble.
“I think it’s hard for us to know when we’re protesting to know if the folks who are doing things wrong are for us or against us,” said Lora McDonald, executive director of MORE2, which is planning its own demonstration in Kansas City, Kansas, on Sunday afternoon.
There was a brief occurrence Friday at around dusk when a group of men appeared at the protest with guns. The Star obtained a photo of a Caucasian male sporting a backward red hat and carrying a long guns strapped over his back who was at the protest, but has been unable to identify the man. They appear to have left without incident.
Another round of demonstrations were planned for Saturday evening. The Country Club Plaza announced that it was closing businesses at 4 p.m. Saturday and lasting into Monday morning at 11 a.m. as a precaution.
It’s not clear if Westport is taking similar measures; Kim Kimbrough, director of the Westport Regional Business League, could not be reached on Saturday.
Friday demonstrations
Kansas City joined other major cities Friday, including St. Louis, that held protests earlier this week.
Protesters in Kansas City held signs sharing messages such as “Black Lives Matter,” “Stop the Violence,” “I can’t breathe” and “End police brutality.”
Many chanted “No lives matter until black lives matter” and “What’s his name? George Floyd,” while cars driving by honked in support.
About 75 police officers were at the planned protest, and officers remained there Friday night into early Saturday morning, Jackson said. He estimated about 300 people showed up to the rally.
Earlier Friday evening, police officers donned protective gear after receiving reports of guns being brought to the rally and water bottles being thrown. Jackson said at that time no injuries and no arrests had been reported, and the protest remained largely peaceful.
About 10 p.m. protesters were marching along 47th Street and on Ward Parkway. Police who had earlier been stopping people from entering the street stood by as people walked in the road.
More than 30 officers lined the street at Ward Parkway and Central, allowing protesters to walk in the road.
At one point, a white pickup truck hit a person walking in the street. The person did not fall, but continued marching. At another location, people started banging on a truck until it accelerated and drove away.
More demonstrations
Similar demonstrations were scheduled to begin Saturday night.
At 4 p.m. on Sunday, MORE2, a faith-based membership organization advocating for racial equity, is holding a demonstration at Kansas City, Kansas City Hall, 701 N. 7th St.
MORE2 has been pushing for changes within the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department.
“We would call it a response to decades of pervasive racism in the systems in KCK that parallel Minnesota, Chicago and, yes, Missouri.” McDonald said.
She said MORE2 demonstrations include legal observers on each block to ensure that protester rights are not infringed and the presence of clergy.
“So there’s a reminder of how God would want our communities to be ordered,” McDonald said.
Meanwhile, Lucas was grateful for how Kansas City’s demonstration fared on Friday.
“The night was not perfect, but I was proud of how our city handled it and I hope it remains that way over the nights ahead,” Lucas said, “so we can remember George Floyd and continue in our effort to avoid anything like his tragic death from ever happening again.”
The Star’s Katie Moore, Kaitlyn Schwers and Cortlynn Stark contributed to this report.
This story was originally published May 30, 2020 at 3:53 PM.