Monday protest in Kansas City: More tear gas, at least 20 arrests follow mayor’s march

A fourth day of demonstrations saw more arrests and the use of tear gas as protests continued Monday around the Country Club Plaza.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas was among a few hundred people gathered to continue protesting police brutality and the death of George Floyd.

As demonstrations stretched into the evening, some marched and chanted alongside Lucas who listened to protesters calling for body cameras and more training for police. At one point, Lucas kneeled with them alongside Police Chief Rick Smith and held a moment of silence for Floyd, who died after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes.

In a late-night speech to protesters next to J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain, Lucas called the gathering a peaceful one and urged citizens all over the city to stand up for justice.

“The mayor of Kansas City heard you today,” Lucas told the crowd. “And I want you to keep making noise so the governor hears you, so the senator hears you and so the damn president of the United States hears you.”

While Lucas was at one point addressing the group, protesters began yelling that a person was being restrained by police.

Sgt. Jacob Becchina, a Kansas City police spokesman, later said the man who was arrested while the mayor was present was pushing and shoving in the crowd, creating an unsafe situation.

Shortly after Lucas left the area, a bus load of police officers in tactical gear pulled up on the east side of Mill Creek Park and parked along main street. The officers ran from the bus and ducked behind a rock wall. From that vantage point they could look down on to the park.

Some protesters began running in different directions. Some ran toward the officers who had exited the bus. A few protesters with their arms raised walked toward the officers saying “hands up don’t shoot.”

Officers soon declared the protest at Mill Creek Park an unlawful assembly. Protesters scattered as an explosion of smoke broke out on the streets for the third night in a row in the city.

Kansas City police tweeted that protesters threw objects including bottles, a shoe and a can of black beans at officers Monday.

Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith earlier Monday defended the actions of the police department during the weekend’s protests, including the use of tear gas Sunday night.

Earlier in the day, police had used pepper spray on the crowd at least once after items were thrown at officers, Becchina said.

Nineteen-year-old Jayla Johnson, of Kansas City, said right before police sprayed into the crowd with pepper spray, she had been questioning police about three black men who have been shot and killed by Kansas City police officers: Ryan Stokes, Cameron Lamb and Donnie Sanders, an unarmed man shot by police in March.

“They killed them and nobody is talking about it,” Johnson said Monday.

“Why are we a shooting target for them?” Johnson asked. “Our lives won’t matter until black lives matter. It is what it is. Brown lives matter just as well . . . When will we start to matter?”

Police arrested more than 20 people by the end of the day Monday, Becchina estimated around midnight. Some who had been detained were found with rocks and urine-soaked items.

In the three days prior, more than 150 people were arrested. Five were arrested Friday, 83 Saturday and 63 Sunday, Becchina said previously.

All but five of the arrests up through Sunday were municipal charges associated with the protest, police said. One person was arrested on a possession offense and four people were charged with stealing from businesses.

Medicals were called to the protest area twice Monday, once for a seizure and once for someone who passed out, Becchina said. No officers were injured Monday.

Though an 8 p.m. curfew had been issued for Sunday, no such curfew was applied Monday.

The Plaza, which has been closed since Saturday, remained closed Tuesday, according to its website. A number of Plaza businesses were vandalized in weekend protests.

The Star’s Katie Moore, Mará Williams and Laura Bauer contributed reporting.

This story was originally published June 2, 2020 at 7:38 AM.