‘March of the Dinosaurs’ on the Plaza delights shoppers — but not the police
Are the marching dinosaurs going to go extinct?
The second annual “March of the Dinosaurs” Sunday on the Country Club Plaza got shut down.
Organizer Jacob Honnold posted on Facebook that police are going to be sending him a ticket “once they’ve figured out the proper verbiage (because writing tickets for Dinos isn’t something they normally do.)”
Honnold told The Star on Monday that the first hint of trouble came when marchers gathered in a parking garage to put on their dino costumes. He said security told them they could not linger there, so they started marching early, about 2:45 p.m. Police ordered them to stop about 3:10 p.m.
Still, it was 25 minutes of dinomania.
Last year, 30 to 40 people showed up for the first March of the Dinosaurs. This year, Honnold estimated 100 to 120 marchers answered the call on social media, more than he expected.
“The dinosaurs were pretty good about staying on the sidewalk,” Honnold said. “Maybe some were jaywalking, and some people were going out into the street to take photos.”
Kansas City police on Monday called the marchers a “flash mob” that was estimated to be close to 500 people near Starbucks.
“The crowd spilled into the street, overtaking roadway designated for vehicle traffic,” police spokesman Lionel Colón said in an email to The Star. “It being the Christmas weekend, foot/vehicle traffic was at an increased capacity. So the flash mob created probable safety issues.”
“Officers hired by the Plaza to work the area contacted the event coordinator,” Colón continued. “The coordinator did not hold permits for allowing for street closures. The coordinator was cooperative and sent a message out dispersing the crowd.”
Colón said the event is under review for possible criminal charges.
On Sunday, Honnold’s mother, Misty Honnold, posted on Facebook that she was proud of her son for inspiring the event.
Several people offered to help pay any fine.
“If this is wrong, I don’t want to be right,” posted Donna Trussell.
Other comments:
▪ “It was a perfect day for a march. I enjoyed it. Thanks for organizing a fun, light hearted, drama free event. That is until it was shut down.”
▪ “Also tell the judge that a Pokemon go group for 100 people likes to meet on the streets of the plaza. They jaywalk, and are rude. How come they don’t get a ticket?”
▪ “I wasn’t able to have my costume, but I was there and the smiles and joy that this brought to everyone was amazing! Sign me up to help with the ticket as well!”
Jacob Honnold vowed, “Next year we’ll make sure to do it the legal way (whether it’s at the Plaza or somewhere else.)”
Roar!
This story was originally published December 24, 2018 at 11:39 AM.
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