Sixth night of protest begins at KC Plaza ahead of ‘Unity March’, storms likely tonight

People calling on change within law enforcement and protesting the deaths of black Americans in police custody have turned out for a sixth day in Kansas City to protest.

About 50 people were seen gathering at the Country Club Plaza ahead of a “Unity March” police have invited the public to attend. There is a chance for rain and thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours in Kansas City, according to the forecast provided by the National Weather Service. Severe storms are possible for those south and east of the Kansas City area, it said on Twitter.

Temperatures were in the low 90s as protesters began to gather around 4 p.m.

The “Unity March” was promoted earlier this week by the Kansas City Police Department as an opportunity for citizens to engaged in “face-to-face discussions,” the agency’s Twitter post indicated. It was being organized by the Justice Center, and was set to begin with a meeting at Southmoreland Park at 45th and Oak streets, a change from the initial starting point in the front lawn of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

A counter protest is expected to begin around the same time at Mill Creek Park, according to a Facebook event.

On Tuesday, protests were mostly calm as police said they worked to de-escalate tension and protesters urged one another to stay peaceful.

It was a difference from previous nights when police deployed pepper spray and tear gas. While “minimal deployments” of pepper spray had been used at times on Tuesday, the Kansas City Police Department said on Twitter, no tear gas was used.

Twenty-five people were arrested during the demonstrations Tuesday, most related to people remaining in the road when police told them to move, according to Sgt. Jacob Becchina, a Kansas City police spokesman.

On Wednesday, civil rights groups, including the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, the NAACP’s Kansas City branch, and More2, called for the resignation of Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith, citing a lack of confidence in his handling of fatal police shootings of African American men, and allegations of excessive use of force by the department. They are also demanding body cameras for police officers and calling for the city to dismantle the current oversight agency for the department.

Since last week, protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck during an arrest for nearly nine minutes, have been held across the country.

That officer, Derek Chauvin, has since been charged, and is now facing an upgraded charge of second-degree murder, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

The Minnesota attorney general’s office also announced Wednesday that three more officers who were there at the time of Floyd’s arrest have been charged with aiding and abetting a murder: J Alexander Kueng, 26, Thomas Kiernan Lane, 37, and Tou Thao, 34.

All four were fired last week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Star reporters Glenn E. Rice and Anna Spoerre also contributed.

This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 5:02 PM.