KC police board meeting ends abruptly amid calls for Police Chief Rick Smith to resign
The Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners abruptly adjourned its monthly meeting on Tuesday as a steady stream of clergy, community groups and civil rights activists demanded that the board take a public vote on whether to remove Police Chief Rick Smith.
As board president Don Wagner gaveled to close the meeting, Rev. Vernon Howard, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City, stood in the audience and yelled for the police board to call for a vote.
“In the name of Jesus Christ — justice in this place. In the name of Jesus Christ — justice in this place,” Howard shouted as Wagner hit the gavel to adjourn the meeting. “No more. No more. No more.”
Soon board members, police commanders and Smith left the community room at police headquarters where the meeting was being held. Board members then reconvened in closed session.
The live-stream and audio on the city’s YouTube and cable access channel was cut off as Howard continued to yell.
Capt. David Jackson, a police spokesman, said the board would conduct as much business as it is legally allowed to do in closed session.
“The gallery became too disruptive to continue business,” Jackson said afterwards. “We constantly weigh the balance of allowing and respecting and promoting people’s First Amendment with also conducting business. So that is kind of the predicament that we are in now and the president of Board of Police Commissioners adjourned the meeting.”
The police reconvened its public portion of the meeting just after noon and concluded about 30 minutes later.
During that session, Mayor Quinton Lucas said of the protest, “I thought it was a personal insult and it was totally uncalled for, but I am used to that. But hopefully we will get to a place where we can try to do better for the safety of our community long term.”
Lucas also said those in the activist community should allow governing bodies such as the police board to convene without disruption and he and Chief Smith continue to be willing to meet with community groups and their leaders.
Earlier during the meeting, Smith showed photos of children and residents that were taken during community outreach efforts. The sessions were held earlier this summer at city parks in each of the police department’s patrol divisions. It was sponsored by Taking it to the Streets, a church group that coordinated children’s activities and provided hot dogs and other refreshments.
Several community groups that showed the presentation said greater police accountability was more pressing.
“It is imperative to have the trust of the community in order for effective policing to occur,” said Gavriela Geller, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Bureau|American Jewish Committee. “And what we’re seeing is that trust does not exist.
“We are at a pivotal moment in this country where we are having a collective reckoning of the racism that has pervaded our country since its founding, since before its founding,” Geller continued. “But it is not going to happen, with all due respect, with popcorn and snow cones. It’s going to happen with policy reform.”
Since June a coalition of civil rights groups have called for Chief Smith to resign. They have also demanded that the police board vote to remove Smith. The group cited a lack of confidence in his handling of fatal police shootings of Black men, and allegations of excessive use of force by the department.
For three weeks, the group Black Rainbow, camped outside of City Hall in Kansas City demanding police reform and divesting funds from law enforcement. The demonstration was sparked in early October after video of a Kansas City police officer placing his knee on a pregnant woman’s back during an arrest.
Protesters had vowed to stay on the city hall lawn until the police board fired the officer, remove Police Chief Smith and divert 50% of the police department budget to social service and other programs.
“Today is going to be par for the course. the movement is growing and is much more widespread than what the board of police commissioners probably first thought, organizer Stacy Shaw, an attorney who represents the pregnant woman, said. “This is a public outcry and the amount of people supporting Rick Smith is growing smaller and smaller every day and that issues needs to be take seriously by the board of police commissioners.”
This summer, as protesters took to the streets of the Country Club Plaza following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, the three pastors were part of a group calling for the end of senseless police brutality and the killing of Black men.
Their demands included body cameras for all officers and an end to excessive force by police, including the use of pepper spray on peaceful protesters.
Since then, Smith has repeatedly said he has no intention to resign. Several police board members, including Mayor Quinton Lucas, have publicly voiced their support for Smith.
The police department has initiated several reforms that included purchasing body worn cameras for police officers, requesting an outside agency to investigate police shootings, reverse its policy of not sending probable cause statements to county prosecutors, review its use of tear gas and other projectiles on protesters and require officers to report within the police department.
Howard said the group plans to attend the police board meetings each month until either Smith resigns or the board votes to terminated him.
“We are in deliberations. We can no longer allow business as usual,” Howard said afterwards. “We will not betray the fallen victims of KCPD violence, brutality, and racism.”
“We will defend their civil rights, their humanity, and their equal protections under the law. And that starts with the dismissal of the chief who is the protector and sustainer of the oppression.”
This story was originally published October 27, 2020 at 2:41 PM.