‘Demand equal justice’: KC activists mark two years of protesting for police reform
On the steps of Kansas City police headquarters Friday, activists assembled an array of photographs of the people killed during encounters with police over the past 20 years.
It was a display for the Friday Night Protest, a weekly demonstration held outside the downtown building with the aim of bringing police reform in Kansas City.
On Friday, the two-year-anniversary of the event, about two dozen people gathered with signs as activists shared their thoughts about how policing in Kansas City should change and called for greater accountability in use-of-force cases. Other topics included the disproportionate rate at which Black people are killed by police officers, institutional racism and a desire for greater transparency in law enforcement investigations involving police officers.
In the time since the protests first started, the group has provided resources to families affected by police shootings, created a database of “problematic” officers and engaged with local elected officials on several issues of concern, said organizer Steve Young. But he added that there is “more work to do.”
“The foundation of Friday Night Protest started right here on the sidewalk. We stand outside KCPD headquarters every Friday without fail, regardless of the weather to up north the names of lives taken by these murderous police,” Young said.
The demonstration also included testimonies from people whose family members were killed by Kansas City officers. Among them were Laurie and Aquil Bey, the mother and stepfather of 26-year-old Cameron Lamb.
In December 2019, Lamb was shot and killed by detective Eric Devalkenaere while in his own driveway. His mother recounted the events of that day, saying police pulled up and — within nine seconds — fatally shot him.
“I am just thankful to God that he allowed me to be his mom because he was my joy,” said Laurie Bey. “He was my everything. And it saddens my heart that he leaves behind three sons that need him.”
Aquil Bey referenced DeValkenaere’s conviction last year on charges of involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action, and trial testimony that evidence was manufactured to make it appear Lamb was armed with a gun. DeValkenaere, who was sentenced to spend six years in prison, is free on bond as he appeals the conviction.
“This is the first time in the history of the Kansas City Police Department that an officer was charged, convicted and sentenced for killing a Black man,” Aquil Bey said, adding: “But the craziest thing about it is he hasn’t spent one day in jail.”
Ruby Watson wore a T-shirt with a photograph of her grandson Malcolm Johnson, who was killed by Kansas City police officers in March 2021. Johnson was being restrained by a group of officers inside the store as they were attempting to arrest him on a warrant for aggravated assault.
“They did not have to kill him,” Watson said, speaking through a microphone to protesters. “His daughter has now joined the ranks of other children who are now fatherless due to their unnecessary killings by the police.”
Police have said Johnson was armed with a gun and shot a cop, though the family has questioned whether that’s true. The Missouri State Highway Patrol completed an investigation of the shooting last year, which is still under review by a special prosecutor from St. Louis.
Gwen Grant, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, pointed to the issue of local control of the department, which is governed by the Board of Police Commissioners, a five-member panel appointed by the governor with the exception of the mayor. She said structural racism is “sustained and perpetuated” by the police board, saying the group along with the mayor and some on the City Council are responsible for “lies, broken promises and false narratives.”
Grant also referenced DeValkenaere case, saying it is wrong that “a convicted felon is walking around free on bail.”
“Two years ago, you took to the streets to say ‘hell no’ to police brutality,” Grant told the demonstrators. “You took to the streets to demand equal justice under the law. Well, the last time I checked, police brutality continues and we do not have equal justice under the law. Still, cops can kill us with impunity.”
This story was originally published June 11, 2022 at 8:40 AM.
