Kansas City police block traffic as demonstrators march around Country Club Plaza
Last Saturday, when protests on the Country Club Plaza turned destructive, demonstrators going out onto the streets was a flashpoint for police. It led to arrests and it increased the tension.
On Friday night, the streets belonged to the demonstrators.
A crowd of about 200 to 300 people turned out to Mill Street Park. It was a loosely organized affair, following a midday demonstration in front of City Hall and the Kansas City police headquarters.
Demonstrations have been held following the May 25 death of George Floyd. Floyd was killed as Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest. Floyd’s death has sparked nationwide and even international protests in response.
At about 9:30 p.m., demonstrators poured out into the intersection of 47th Street and J.C. Nichols Parkway. Drivers were puzzled and police officers in motorcycles approached.
And then, the demonstrators marched west, filling 47th Street with signs and chants.
The police did not intervene. Instead, as the police department stated on Twitter, they blocked off streets from traffic as demonstrators marched a loop from 47th Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, Ward Parkway to Oak Street and back to Mill Creek Park.
It was a similar move the department made Thursday night as people marched across the shopping district. Police had announced hours earlier Thursday that for the first time in several days, all streets were back open through the Plaza.
Protesters paused here and there to remember black men and women slain by police over the years. The police kept their distance, blocking the way for a peaceful protest in the heat of the Friday night.
This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 10:12 PM.
