Former Kansas City councilwoman injured in afternoon robbery in downtown KC
Former Kansas City Councilwoman Joanne Collins was the victim of a downtown robbery on Monday, police confirmed.
Collins, 89, was the first Black woman elected to Kansas City’s City Council. She served as the 3rd District city council member.
Police were called to the area of West 12th Street and Central Street, near the Kansas City Convention Center, around 4:30 p.m. Monday for a robbery, and officers found the victim, Collins, had been injured in the incident, said Sgt. Phil DiMartino, a spokesman for the Kansas City Police Department.
Collins was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, he said.
“Detectives are pursuing all leads and making headway at identifying a subject,” he said. “The investigation is ongoing.”
Collins became the first Black woman to be elected to City Council in 1974. She was re-elected to the seat four times before she stepped down in 1991. Collins also served in stints as the city’s mayor pro tem and acting mayor.
This story was originally published March 29, 2025 at 2:29 PM.
