‘Peacefully fight back:’ Hundreds march to address systemic racism in Johnson County

Linnaia McKenzie stood in front of a couple of hundred demonstrators in Overland Park Saturday and explained that she loved the city and wanted to “see the community display a mutual love” for her.

McKenzie, a founding member of the Advocacy and Awareness Group of Johnson County, was the primary organizer of a march and rally supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in Downtown Overland Park.

Protesters started at Overland Park City Hall at 8500 Santa Fe Drive and marched to the Overland Park Clock Tower Plaza, where activists and community leaders spoke. It is one of many demonstrations nationwide proclaiming that Black Lives Matter following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer last month.

The point of the march, McKenzie said, was to begin a community discussion about systemic racism and show Johnson County residents that a Black Lives Matter protest could be peaceful.

“We are coming today to show support to the Black community — to show that we see them, that we hear them, that we love them,” McKenzie said.

“The assumption is that our community members that live in the suburbs feel that any movement in support of Black Lives Matter or anything that supports the Black community is going to result in violence ... we’re going to disband that belief.”

Speakers at the march included McKenzie, Rep. Sharice Davids, Overland Park Police Chief Frank Donchez, Wyandotte District Attorney Mark Dupree, President of the Johnson County NAACP Fred Jones, child welfare advocate Shanelle Dupree, Kansas state senate candidate Stacey Knoell and lead pastor at The Freedom Center Christopher Madden.

Demonstrators sang, showing joy and solidarity over the size and diversity of the group. Many families arrived with children, saying they wanted their kids to experience the movement.

Although protests have been ongoing in larger cities for weeks, demonstrators said the topic of systemic racism is just as relevant in the suburbs.

Broderick Nelson, a 21-year-old who moved from Kansas City to Johnson County six years ago, said he experienced a culture shock when he arrived in Johnson County and saw the lack of racial diversity.

Nelson, who is Black, said he was singled out at school and was met with suspicion by administrators because of the color of his skin.

“I’ve never felt at home here,” he said. “It shouldn’t be like that.”

Bianca Waage, an Overland Park 29-year-old who came to the march with her two young daughters, said she came to take in the support and show her daughters “how to peacefully fight back.”

She said she was the only Black girl around where she grew up in the suburbs. She said protests in suburban communities are important.

“In a world of knowledge, it’s a choice to be ignorant,” she said.

Speakers at the rally urged demonstrators to take action to change the systems in place through voting, running for office themselves and supporting those already in office.

They discussed the national movement calling for an end to police brutality and systemic racism, and they detailed some steps local communities can take to fight implicit biases.

Wyandotte DA speaks on justice

Dupree said he chose to speak at Saturday’s event because “any issue in Johnson County is an issue in Wyandotte County.

“I’m here to make sure that we all know that we have to come together. It doesn’t matter the county, it doesn’t matter the race,” he said in an interview before addressing the crowd. “It’s about making sure that we’re all in the fight for true justice for everyone.”

Dupree spoke to the crowd about his efforts to build accountability measures in Wyandotte County, as well as his own experiences with racial discrimination. He complimented the crowd size, saying that for years he felt he was alone in the fight for racial justice in the area.

When he was 19, Dupree said, six police officers “who refused to have a conversation” beat him with their batons. He did not elaborate on what led to the situation but said he spent three days in jail following the interaction.

Those officers, Dupree said, were not fired from the department they worked for.

He cited the incident as a reason for accountability in the justice system. When bad officers are not held accountable, he said, “the good ones never get the publicity they deserve.”

Overland Park Police Chief Frank Donchez spoke immediately following Dupree. He referenced his refusal to tolerate racist behavior from officers and the department’s relationship with the county’s NAACP chapter.

Though the event did not focus on calling for change in police departments, before his speech Donchez said he was open to conversations about reallocating resources and responsibilities from police departments to social services.

“There’s no doubt that change needs to take place,” he said. “The amount of things that have been added to a police officer’s duty in those last 41 years are incredible. I don’t think we can ask the police to do everything.”

This story was originally published June 20, 2020 at 12:00 AM.