KC civil rights groups ask NBA to consider police brutality, racism in Raptors decision
Three Kansas City civil rights organizations are asking the NBA to consider the Kansas City Police Department’s “extreme hostility” toward Black people and city leadership’s complicity before choosing the city as a temporary home for the Toronto Raptors.
“There are some issues which supersede fun and economic interests. The protection of Black lives remains our most pressing concern,” was the statement in a letter to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver signed by Gwendolyn Grant, president of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City; Rodney Williams, president of the KC Chapter of the NAACP; and Vernon Howard, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Kansas City.
“Although Kansas City is a great sports city, it is also a city where law enforcement has demonstrated extreme hostility and excessive force towards Black people,” the letter said.
The letter points to incidents of use of force against unarmed Black people by KCPD officers, including some that have resulted in criminal charges against the officers involved.
The examples include an officer shooting and killing Cameron Lamb in his backyard, an officer kneeling on the back of 9-months pregnant Deja Stallings during an arrest, and an officer arresting 15-year-old Tyree Bell in 2016.
A Kansas City detective was indicted for Lamb’s killing in June. Stallings’ arrest prompted a 21 day occupation at City Hall as protesters called for the firing of KCPD Chief Rick Smith and a 50% divestment of police department funds.
“Kansas City’s civic and political leadership have failed to take meaningful corrective action with regard to the police department and the Police Chief’s disregard for the humanity of Black people,” the letter said.
Kansas City is one of many cities seeking to be a temporary home for the Toronto Raptors during the 2020-2021 NBA season.
In a statement, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas commended the organizations for reminding the city that “preservation of Black lives should be a most pressing concern for our community and our partners.”
“Unfortunately, like Toronto, Chicago, Philadelphia and most NBA cities, we have much work to do in ensuring all our Black neighbors feel safe in all interactions with law enforcement. Regardless of our future with the NBA, we remain committed to that essential work,“ the statement said.
In a statement, Kansas City Police Department spokesman Sgt. Jacob Becchina said the decision to bring a professional sports team to KC rests with groups other than KCPD but that the department remains “committed to serving the residents and visitors of Kansas City, Missouri.”
“We also are ready to ensure the safety of any sports team coming to Kansas City as we have done for the Chiefs and Royals and others during regular season games, playoffs, world championships and world championship celebrations, as we have done for decades,” Becchina said.
Howard, of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, called it hypocritical that Kansas City would seek to profit off the talents of Black men while failing to respond to police brutality and systemic racism.
“It is wrong, morally wrong, economically exploitative, inhumane to profit from the gifts and talents and beauty of Black men while refusing to stop killing Black men in the streets,” Howard said. “We will never be complicit or participate with that.”
He said he hoped the letter would inform the nation of problems in Kansas City and help spur the city’s business community to stand alongside the civil rights groups in calling for change.
“We advocate for a prosperous city, we advocate for there to be an expansion of the economy that benefits all Kansas Citians,” Howard said. “But to refuse to address the issues of racism and police brutality against Black men in this city while at the same time attempting to court the NBA, which brings 80 to 85 percent of its high profile employees to a city creating economic benefit for the economy, that is just simply wrong.”
The Star’s Glenn E. Rice contributed to this report.
This story was originally published October 31, 2020 at 2:26 PM.
