Tuesday protest in Kansas City: Police and crowd mostly calm, with 25 arrests

The fifth day of protests in Kansas City were relatively calm Tuesday as police said they worked to de-escalate tension and protesters urged one another to stay peaceful.

A few hundred people gathered beginning at 3 p.m. at the County Club Plaza demanding changes in law enforcement and decrying the violence against black Americans at the hands of police.

About 40 faith-based leaders prayed with officers Tuesday afternoon in Kansas City before joining protesters in a march, some linking arms, chanting and singing. Some kneeled alongside protesters in front of a line of police officers and called for peace.

Protesters at one point lay down in the street as others put their hands in the air and chanted, “Hands up, don’t shoot.”

Many also kneeled in the road, repeating, “I can’t breathe.”

Sgt. Jacob Becchina, a Kansas City police spokesman, said some leaders of the largely unorganized protest group helped to keep demonstrators in the park and avoid confrontations with police who often stood between them and the Plaza, which remained closed Wednesday following some damage to businesses by protesters in days prior.

Twenty-five people were arrested during Tuesday’s demonstrations, most related to people remaining in the road when police told them to move, Becchina said. Police said they were also trying to be “flexible” at times, allowing large groups to march on the street.

Fifty people were arrested during the protest the day prior, Becchina said. All of the individuals arrested Monday and Tuesday live within an hour of the Kansas City area.

Even as some protesters began throwing water bottles and other items at police Tuesday, officers generally resisted using tear gas and more aggressive measures.

“So all in all, I would say tonight’s by far been the best night that we’ve had. And I’m confident in saying that,” Becchina said late Tuesday night. “The group has maintained a peaceful presence for the most part and we’ve been very happy with the way things have gone.”

Police officers lined up in their gear as the protest stretched into the late-night hours.

Close to 10 p.m., protesters inched closer to the median, steps away from dozens of police officers. One man was seen having a conversation with a police officer in the street, bumping fists at the end after the man shared some thoughts.

It was a difference from previous nights when police were seen using pepper spray and tear gas. While pepper spray had been used at times on Tuesday, no tear gas was used as of 11 p.m. Tuesday, Becchina said Tuesday evening.

The police department later tweeted on Wednesday that no pepper spray was used during Tuesday’s demonstration.

Becchina on Tuesday said the department heard public criticism of officers’ use of force against protesters. Rather than maintain a steady perimeter around the protesters as they’d done previous days, Becchina pointed to the times Tuesday evening in which officers fell back, allowing protesters more space to move into the streets.

“We have absolutely granted some space tonight that I don’t think was there on previous nights,” Becchina said.

Five days of protest

Close to 200 protesters total have been arrested across five days of demonstrations.

The protests in Kansas City followed others around the country sparked by the killing of George Floyd, a black man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis. Derek Chauvin, the officer, has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith said his department was making an effort to review their practices and de-escalate as they respond to protests

Smith said he felt things became tense early on Monday and hopes peaceful protests continue. Night after night, Smith said, police have been “digging the same hole.”

“We aren’t perfect. I know that 100%,” Smith said.

Throughout the day, police officers lined up in the streets and then fell back, repeating these movements a few times.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who marched with protesters Monday, said in a Twitter post that no curfew order would be issued Tuesday night as it had been Sunday, adding he planned to share some changes that “will help accountability and safety for [community], protesters and police.”

One change, Lucas added, is that police officers would not be lining up around Mill Creek Park, and that current instructions were “to respond only when needed.”

Julian Roy, 28, a server on the Plaza, became an emboldened crowd leader Tuesday, striding back and forth in front of the protesters, leading chants, urging “Take a knee!”

“It breaks my heart, man. My mom was always passionate about rights. You, me, we’re all humans,” Roy said. “Everything’s been peaceful” until police began using tear gas, Roy indicated. “Last night this whole park was running in terror,” Roy said.

Becchina said police only lined up at the park Tuesday if protesters entered the street. Protesters would be unbothered so long as they stay within the park, he said.

“A lot of these measures that we take are preventative,” Becchina said. “We’re experimenting tonight. We’ve done things a little bit differently.”

The police department also promoted a “Unity March,” organized in conjunction with The Justice Center. It is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the front lawn of the Nelson Atkins Museum.

A gathering of 75 area faith leaders was also announced for 10 a.m. Wednesday outside City Hall to address police brutality.

Amid the fifth day of protests, Mayor Quinton Lucas’ staff spoke with the staff of U.S. Sens. Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley in an effort to receive funding for police body-worn cameras.

Lucas also noted videos on social media have shown what protesters have described as excessive force. The mayor said he spoke Tuesday with the FBI agent in charge in the region who is willing to review any allegations of misconduct. Jackson County prosecutors were also reviewing at least one video of a protester being pepper sprayed by police.

Also on Tuesday, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson vowed to use “whatever forces I have” to quell the unrest after peaceful protests turned violent in the St. Louis area. Protests there culminated with four police officers being shot in downtown St. Louis and a retired police captain killed by looters.

Parson pledged to “call up over 1,000 troops.”

“Whether it’s every member of the highway patrol, whether it’s every member of the national guard, I will call them all out to stop the violence in this state,” Parson told reporters.

Star reporters Cortlynn Stark, Kevin Hardy, Luke Nozicka, Glenn Rice and Jason Hancock contributed to this report.

This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 8:43 AM.