Protest organizer says KC police intimidated peaceful group at headquarters
Protesters faced off with Kansas City police officers on Saturday afternoon in a demonstration at the department’s headquarters.
Organizer Sheryl Ferguson said they were there to peacefully protest and call for the resignation of Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith. They were met with officers trying to intimidate them, Ferguson said.
When protesters first put up the Black Lives Matter banner on the statue outside headquarters, they used tape. They took shelter underneath an overhang outside when it started to rain.
Then, several officers came outside. Ferguson said a group of officers snatched the banner from the statue, which Ferguson called a “volatile act.”
Other officers took down signs protesters had hung up on the railing.
Ferguson asked the officers what laws protesters had violated, but couldn’t get a direct answer until eventually speaking with a supervisor. She was told that the tape used to place the banner on the statue was defacing it.
Kansas City police spokesman Sgt. Jake Becchina said he didn’t know if the tape residue would be permanent or not and that they would wait until Monday to see if it washed out.
At one point, protesters linked arms and formed a line to prevent police from taking the banner down.
Protesters placed water bottles on top of the banner to hold it in place.
“We’re trying to exhibit our rights,” Ferguson said. “We have a right to do so.”
When police came outside, they “agitated” protesters, according to Ferguson.
“And I think if we would have had a different mentality that it could have turned violent, because they came ready for it,” Ferguson said.
She said police blocked off most of 12th Street and brought a patrol wagon to the area. At least a dozen officers were involved.
“It was kind of like you’re really showing us this intimidating force that you’re getting ready to arrest us,” Ferguson said. “You just want to intimidate us and bully us.”
Becchina said the patrol wagon, usually the only way police “would transport an arrest from a large gathering,” was there on standby.
“We are committed to protecting everyone’s ability to exercise their First Amendment rights,” Becchina said.
The protest ended in a prayer.
This story was originally published June 27, 2020 at 7:47 PM.
