Topeka ghost tour upsets family of the police officer who died at the site
A Topeka man says his family is unhappy that a “ghost tour” charged admission to a site where his grandfather was shot to death while working as a police officer in 1955.
Ghost Tours of Kansas hosted an event Oct. 9 at Topeka’s Moose Lodge, where Officer Clarence Shields was shot to death on April 11, 1955, when he surprised two burglars on the roof.
“My family has no problem with ghost ‘hunters’ going to the Moose Lodge for entertainment but what we do have a problem with is when companies like this charge admission to participants,” Shields’ grandson Joey Little wrote in an email to The Wichita Eagle.
“This is tasteless and horrible. We view charging money to ‘hunt’ our father and grandfather — a fallen Topeka Police Officer — absolutely wrong.”
Cathy Ramirez, owner of Ghost Tours of Kansas, said she charges admission for all of the 11 tours she hosts in nine Kansas cities. She charged $20 a person for 22 people to go through the Moose Lodge on Oct. 9. Three-quarters of the proceeds went to a maintenance fund for the lodge, with the rest going to her and her team. She said she always gets permission from the current property owner.
“I don’t believe in antagonizing a spirit to get action or activity,” Ramirez said. “I am not antagonizing ghosts when I go ghost hunting.”
Little went to the Moose Lodge to protest on the night of the ghost tour, telling people that the family found the hunt to be distasteful, especially because money was being charged.
Ramirez said she mentions Shields during the tour because a plaque and a ballroom at the Moose Lodge are dedicated to him.
“During my tours, I would like to think that if Clarence ‘Boots’ Shields is there, he is a man of integrity, honor and respect. I would think he is in his career mode, protecting and still serving this community. As to his family, with all their hate emails, threats, I wonder what he would think about their behavior. It is not his proudest moment, I am sure.”
Bill Miskell, chairman of the Kansas Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Committee, said he didn’t know how the event at the Moose Lodge was marketed, but he didn’t want people to forget that Shields has surviving family members for whom his death is still a “very real event.”
“From the perspective of the state law enforcement group, we owe everyone who has served this state and paid with the ultimate sacrifice our fullest respect throughout the year,” Miskell said.
This story was originally published October 25, 2015 at 8:06 PM with the headline "Topeka ghost tour upsets family of the police officer who died at the site."