‘Good, old-fashioned protest’: Hundreds gather Sunday at the Plaza in Kansas City
Demonstrators began gathering near the Country Club Plaza Sunday for a third day of protest against police brutality, sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The protest Sunday was planned as Kansas City officials announced an 8 p.m. curfew for the Plaza, Westport and downtown business districts, pointing to fires, arrests and injuries during the protest the night before.
Early in the afternoon, people began gathering near the J.C Nichols Memorial Fountain at Mill Creek Park. Some held signs for passing motorists to see, and many drivers honked their horns in support.
By 2 p.m., hundreds of people had gathered, with many shouting ”power to the people” in unison. Performers and speakers prepared to address the crowd as many protesters sat watching in the grass.
Terri Rose, 33, of Olathe, held a sign reading “Black Lives Matter.” She was there with her four children, ages 4 - 11. Rose said she is hoping to teach her children that “if they want to see change, they have to be a part of it.”
Henry C. Service, an attorney and organizer with the protest group Enough is Enough, urged people to join.
“We’re going to start off with some speeches, we’re going to start off with some people talking about their experiences, and then we’re going to have a protest, a good old-fashioned protest,” Service said.
“The police will have to riot before any of our people will,” he said.
U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II of Missouri’s 5th Congressional district was among the speakers.
Police cars also began arrive at the Plaza as 2 p.m. neared.
Police response
Eighty-five people were arrested Saturday night at Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza during protests over the killing of George Floyd that turned dangerous amid tear gas and fires.
Speaking to reporters Sunday, Mayor Quinton Lucas said while the damage seen in Kansas City was not as bad as in other cities, it was “more than we’d want to tolerate in this region.” Police officers and protesters were injured, he said.
“None of that needs to happen,” he said, calling on demonstrators to remain peaceful Sunday.
Police Chief Rick Smith begged for protesters to stop the damage seen Saturday night.
“Stop destroying our businesses,” Smith said. “Stop destroying our community. Stop destroying our reputation as a city.”
During a police briefing Sunday morning, Smith asked if any police officers in the room did not get hit by an object at the protest. None raised their hands, he said.
“Everyone had been assaulted in some way last night,” Smith told reporters. “Kansas City is better than this.”
Two officers were hospitalized after being struck by objects. One suffered an injury to the temple and the other had a lacerated liver, the Kansas City Police Department said on Twitter.
The Saturday protest drew 400 to 500 people, marking another in a series of protests across the country in the days that followed the death of George Floyd. Floyd died May 25 in Minneapolis after Derek Chauvin, a police officer there, applied his knee to Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes while he lay prone and pleading to breathe while in handcuffs.
By the end of the night, police reported 10 people injured. Protesters threw water bottles at officers, with Capt. David Jackson, a Kansas City Police Department spokesman, estimating more than 100 rocks and bottles were thrown.
Police used tear gas to try to disperse the crowds, with limited success. Some in the crowd said the tear gas was excessive. At least one protester complained that police used flash bangs and rubber bullets at a point when the crowd was calm.
Sgt. Jake Becchina, a police spokesman, said flash bangs were used, but he could not confirm the use of rubber bullets.
Several businesses were damaged as police said people were trying to break into them. A squad car was set on fire.
Gov. Mike Parson declared a state of emergency, making available the Missouri National Guard and the Missouri Highway Patrol to support local authorities. They have arrived in Kansas City by Sunday morning.
This story was originally published May 31, 2020 at 1:55 PM.
