Mayor’s thank-you letter to KCPD ignores tear gas, riot gear and racism, critics say
A week after hundreds of people gathered on the Country Club Plaza to protest racism and police brutality, Mayor Quinton Lucas sent a letter to Kansas City police thanking them for their work during the demonstrations.
The letter, dated June 10 with an official letterhead, says some members of the public laid at the officers’ feet centuries-old race problems, and says it was “unreasonable” to assign blame to rank-and-file officers. It notes the long hours, “harsh insults” and injuries experienced by police.
Some community leaders on Thursday questioned the mayor’s focus on the suffering of the police, noting that Kansas City officers had used pepper spray and tear gas on protesters, sometimes in ways that sparked sharp outcry from members of the public.
One Kansas City man has said a rubber bullet fired by police may cause him to lose an eye. Another had his leg violently smashed by a police tear gas canister. Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said her office is reviewing video of Kansas City officers who pepper-sprayed a pair of protesters, arresting one after he yelled at police.
On Thursday, Lucas said he recognized the concerns protesters raised but he wrote the letter to acknowledge the many patrol officers, detectives and others for the work they perform each day to protect the city.
He noted a female homicide detective he saw examining evidence and speaking to witnesses following a shooting that left one dead and four injured near his home at 18th and Vine streets.
“I sent it (the letter) because this is what I’m thinking,” he said. “It is what I do with anything else and some people will not like and some people will.”
The demonstrations, sparked by the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer but fueled by local residents’ problems with police here, went on for more than a week. At times, heavily-armed police discharged explosive devices in crowds after some demonstrators hurled frozen water bottles and other objects at them. Many of the incidents were captured on video and generated national headlines.
In his letter Thursday, Lucas highlighted the events of the year, thanking the police department for its “round-the-clock” work to prepare for the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade. He also noted that the coronavirus pandemic had limited off-duty opportunities for police and that violent crime continues to be a problem in the city.
“Protesters also have caused some of the public to lay at the feet of the women and men of law enforcement centuries-old challenges around race and equality in our country,” Lucas wrote. “It is unreasonable to assign such blame to rank-and-file officers, as those of us in political leadership - past and present - hold ultimate responsibility for unresolved systemic challenges.”
Henry Service, an attorney and one of the organizers of the protests said the letter shows that Lucas’s priorities surrounding the protests are misplaced.
“He is worried about solidifying his base of support among the police,” Service said. “Other mayors have come out and roundly condemned the actions of police with proposed solutions, acknowledging that it was a problem. He hasn’t done that.”
“Words matter and he should have shown the same level of support or sent an open letter out to the community, the same way he wants to write a letter to police,” Service said.
During the demonstrations, protesters railed against police brutality, excessive use of force by officers and police shootings of unarmed black men.
They called for local control of the Kansas City Police Department, urgency in equipping police with body-worn cameras, and demanded an independent board to review police shootings and use of force.
A coalition of civil rights groups called for the resignation of Police Chief Rick Smith, citing a lack of confidence in his handling of the police shooting and use of force issues.
Lucas has voiced his support of Smith and the actions of officers during the protests. He also dismiss the criticism that the letter was intended to appease police officers and their union.
Riot gear and military weapons
Service said police dressed in helmets, gas masks and heavy riot gear used military-style weapons to disperse crowds of protesters.
He said the mayor should demonstrate the same level of compassion toward protesters as he has to police.
“The police are not the ones under stress,” Service said. “We were the ones getting chemical weapons deployed against us. Gas, shots, beat up. If he is going to console somebody I think he would console the people fighting for justice or at least say that.”
Smith has defended officers who pepper sprayed a protester who yelled at police, an incident captured on video that was widely shared and criticized online last week.
In his letter to the police department, Lucas wrote:
“You work hard and you care about people of all races and backgrounds in our community, which is why you do the work you do.”
“No one here today created racism and no one here today created gun violence,” Lucas wrote to officers.
The Rev. Emanuel Cleaver III, senior pastor of St. James United Methodist Church said, he agreed that citizens already appreciate the work of Kansas City officers, who put their lives on the line to protect the community. No officer deserved to abused or called names because of the work that they do, Cleaver said.
“I disagree when he says we are all working to eradicate racism. There’s no evidence that the police department is doing that,” he said. “Secondly he ignores the fact that the black community has plenty of complaints of harassment by the police department because of race. That simple fact seem to be ignored.”
Cleaver was among a group of clergy who gathered at City Hall last Wednesday and demanded body cameras for police officers and an independent review board.
Days of unrest
Hundreds were arrested during more than a week of protests that at times rattled Kansas City.
The demonstrations were mostly peaceful, but at times police and protesters clashed, producing injuries. Some businesses on the Plaza and some police vehicles were damaged.
The demonstrations in Kansas City were among others across the country in response to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. A video shows police officer Derek Chauvin putting his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes while other officers stood by.
Chauvin was fired days later and has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the killing. Three other officers who were involved were also fired and face criminal charges.
Floyd’s death sparked outrage, sending thousands of people into streets across the nation as they called for racial justice and police reform and accountability.
Smith said the police department will purchase body-worn cameras for their officers after receiving donations from private sources.
Last Thursday, Lucas announced outside agencies will now review every police shooting and major use-of-force complaint against officers. The police department is also examining its use of tear gas and other projectiles.
The department will also reverse its current apparent policy of not sending probable cause statements to county prosecutors reviewing police shootings.
“I believe the changes that we made were big,” Lucas said. “Take home that black lives matter but police will continue to exist and we need to make sure that we figure out a way to be better as a community and as a police force and an important part of that is the officers that we have now.”
Others said they felt the letter dismissed the sacrifices and the concerns of protesters.
“I’m extremely disappointed and concerned that Mayor Lucas has chosen to realign himself with those who gassed and injured those who where seeking change in our community,” said Justice Horn, who organized a protest rally on the steps of City Hall last Friday. “I understand that he is the Mayor of Kansas City, but he is a black man first.”
“The KCPD and the fraternal order have continue to enforce policies that have targeted black and brown communities,” Horn said.
“I personally feel that we need our Mayor to step up and not play politics during this time. We are fighting for change in our community and his priority should be to stand with us, the people of Kansas City.”
This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 1:48 PM.
