Freeing of white Kansas City cop found guilty of killing Black man denounced at MLK event
At an event honoring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., family and supporters of Cameron Lamb — a young, unarmed, Black man killed by a white, Kansas City, Missouri police detective — stood in solidarity Monday to denounce the recent release of the officer from prison, an act that they cast as an affront to civil rights, human rights and the values King fought for.
“We denounce Gov. Mike Parson’s decision to usurp the power and the authority and the justice of the courts, and to intervene and disrupt the punishment of a police officer duly convicted and sentenced and imprisoned,” the Rev. Vernon Howard, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City, told a crowd that gathered Monday evening, filling St. James United Methodist Church at 5540 Wayne Ave.
Some 30 supporters that included friends, clergy and Lamb’s family stood in the sanctuary alongside Howard, the senior pastor at St. Mark’s Church, who cast the circumstances surrounding Lamb’s death and the commutation of former Det. Eric DeValkenaere’s sentence as “unspeakable.”
“It is vulgar. It is evil. It is immoral. It is unjust,” Howard said. “We will not be silent. We will not go away. And we will not back down.”
In a move on Dec. 23 fraught with controversy, criticism and racial overtones, Parson, as Missouri’s outgoing governor, commuted the six-year sentence of DeValkenaere, a detective who on Dec. 3, 2019 followed 26-year-old Lamb to his home on a purported traffic violation. Claiming he was threatened, he then shot and killed Lamb seconds after Lamb had backed his truck into his home’s carport.
At trial, Jackson County prosecutors alleged the crime scene was staged, and that police had planted a gun near Lamb’s body to suggest he posed a threat. Lamb had been unarmed.
In November 2021, a judge found DeValkenaere guilty of second-degree manslaughter and armed criminal action. He was sentenced in March 2022 to serve six years, making him the first white police officer in Missouri sent to prison for killing a Black man.
Out on bond while his case was appealed, DeValkenaere did not enter prison until October 2023. He would serve just over one year before being released.
King to Cameron Lamb
Prior to Monday’s event, Howard told The Star that he believes the line is clear between King, Lamb’s death and what he sees as DeValkenaere’s unjust early release.
“Cameron’s human rights and civil rights were taken, “ Howard said. “I mean, anytime a public safety official, a peace officer, goes on your property without a warrant, approaches you, shoots and kills you for no cause, having committed no crime, this kind of human and civil rights violation compels us into this space.
“Dr. King in several speeches outlined the fact that police brutality was one of the most serious and ongoing occurrences that violated the civil and human rights of Black people. . . .We can go all the way back to the lynchings of Black people historically in this country, where Black people would suffer the taking of their lives without accountability.
“Don’t forget, Dr. King, who continually promoted peace and non-violence, was a Black man that suffered the loss of his life by violence.”
The collective denouncement was made at a 5:30 p.m. press conference, shortly before the start of a two-hour “MLK Mass Celebration” that began at 6 p.m. Although Laurie Bey, Lamb’s mother, chose not to speak at the press conference, she spoke to The Star prior.
“This man was tried,” she said of DeValkenaere. “Several judges looked at this case. Every one of them said that this man was guilty. . . .It’s just not right. It’s like, when will we ever feel like we’re human if you continue to do things like this? It’s like you’re telling me that my son doesn’t deserve to be here, but you have compassion for this man’s (DeValkenaere’s) family.”
The Rev. Emanuel Cleaver III, senior pastor of St. James and the son of current U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, Kansas City’s former mayor, noted that King once said that love is the only force that has the power to transform enemies into friends.
“What does that mean?” Cleaver asked rhetorically. “What does that love look like in society? . . .It looks like justice and it looks like mercy. On this day, Cameron Lamb’s family has not received love from the governor’s office. The Lamb family has not received justice.
“There has been a long history of tension between law enforcement and the Black community. Law enforcement, unfortunately, is often viewed as the enemy. But, governor, you have an opportunity to begin to transform enemies into friends. But it requires justice and it requires mercy.”
‘Sick of it’
Ester Holzendorf, age 86, an evangelist representing Sankofa for Kansas City, spoke of the rule of law.
“I have 11 grandchildren, she said. “I have seven great grandchildren and eight great, great grandchildren. We expect the rule of law to work for all of us,” she said. “That’s right, The rule of law supports the equality of all citizens before the law, secures a non-arbitrary form of government and, more generally, prevents the arbitrary use of power.
“The governor used his power against Cameron Lamb for a cold-blooded killer named Eric DeValkenaere who is supposed to protect and serve. We’re either going to have equal justice or we’re not. And right now we don’t have equal justice under the law. . . I didn’t come here to impress anybody. I came here to tell you all I’m sick of it.
“I don’t care what we have to do. We’ve got to send a message that if the law doesn’t work for us, it doesn’t work for anybody.”
The Rev. James D. Tindall, Sr., a former president of Freedom Inc., and founder of the Urban Summit, added to the call for action.
“I’ve been in the Civil Rights struggle since I was 16-years-old, Tindall said. “And I realize now, more than ever, that there are two forms of justice in America: One for the rich. One for the poor. If you don’t believe me, call up Donald Trump and ask him. If you’ve got enough money, you can walk. Got enough money, you don’t have to go to jail.
“It’s time for us now to go back and protest. This is Martin Luther King’s birthday, and I’m glad that we are able to visit the drum major for justice, things that he believed, things that we must carry on, things that we are still carrying on. Ladies and gentlemen, we can no longer stand by and be satisfied. We’ve got to stand now.”
Speaking prior to the event, Howard said, “This situation really does question our empathy and humanity as a society, particularly related to the Kansas City community.”
“We’ve really got to ask ourselves some serious questions, “ he said, “especially people who are in power, especially people who are white — there seems to be a lack of empathy and humanity for Black life.”
The main part of the evening was dedicated to a King celebration, hosted by the Kansas City branch of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an activist organization based in non-violence and founded in 1957 by King and other southern ministers.
The event featured music as well as a panel discussion looking to bring insight to a question asked by King in 1967: “Where do we go from here?”
Panelists included U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II., Kansas City’s former mayor and a lead pastor at St. James for more than 30 years; Kansas City Councilwoman Melissa Robinson; The Rev. James D. Tindall, Sr.; Jennifer Collier, superintendent of the Kansas City Public Schools; Dwayne Williams, president and chief executive officer of the 12th Street Heritage Development Corp.; Ryan Sorrell, founder and publisher of “The Kansas City Defender”; Janay Reliford, chair of the Kansas City Reparations Coalition and Kerry Muhammad, a student minister with the Nation of Islam.
Midway through the event, Lamb was honored posthumously. His family was awarded the organization’s Community Service Award “for their dedication and perseverance in the quest for justice for Cameron.”
This story was originally published January 20, 2025 at 9:01 PM.
