‘We will not be moved’: Rally supporting homeless camp by KC’s City Hall draws over 100
Allies and residents of the homeless encampment on the south lawn of Kansas City’s City Hall offered a simple message to city officials and the community at large on Thursday evening: We will not be moved.
Since the tents popped up roughly two months ago, the site has essentially become a political statement aimed toward addressing the needs of Kansas Citians living out on the street, including additional resources for those experiencing homelessness, more affordable housing opportunities and higher wages for working people.
But now the camp’s residents, who live right outside the physical center of Kansas City’s government institutions, believe they may soon be met with official actions aimed toward pressuring them to pack up and go away.
“If it’s not legit, we ain’t going nowhere. If it is legit, we ain’t going nowhere. That’s it,” James Shelby, 60, who goes by “Qadahfi” and has become a leader of the encampment, told The Star.
About 100 people were out on the City Hall steps Thursday evening, rallying together in a show of support for those worried about being displaced. The event was organized by KC Tenants and the KC Homeless Union — separate groups aligned with common causes related to helping those with housing needs.
The call to action came after a note instructing the encampment’s residents to vacate was recently posted on the base of the statue of President Abraham Lincoln near City Hall’s south steps. It read, in part, that the campsite was “illegal” and called upon those staying there to leave by April 4 or face arrest. Any property not removed, the note read, would be discarded. The note lacked any official letterhead from the city but was taped up alongside others that did.
Chris Hernandez, a spokesman for the city, confirmed that some public notices have been placed on the statue’s base. Hernandez added that the city has been doing outreach with the encampment’s residents for weeks, telling them “this is a really good time to take advantage of other services.”
During the Thursday rally, activists renewed demands for attention and support to those without secure housing options. Several carried signs with messages like “Stop the Sweep,” “House the people” and “We demand homes.”
“We demand a seat at the table where they make decisions concerning our lives. Because those who are closer to the problem are closer to the solution,” said Qadahfi, the encampment leader, who was introduced to the crowd as “the real Mayor Q.”
“When we formed the homeless union, they told me something is wrong with me. They said I’m stepping on a lot of toes,” he added. “I say, if I’m stepping on your toes, you must be pointed in the wrong direction.”
Several speakers leveled fiery rebukes against the city’s administrative and elected officials, questioning spending decisions that ranged from certain infrastructure projects to vacant housing demolition programs. Others, including Jenay Manley, shared their personal struggles with housing insecurity.
Manley said her landlord illegally raised her rent twice in the same month. When she complained, she was told to hire a lawyer — a cost she couldn’t afford.
“I was forced into a possible choice between my safety and a roof over our head with my abuser in order to keep my children from becoming homeless,” Manley said. “And this is a choice that far too many moms have to make.”
Meanwhile, Hernandez, the city spokesman, said the city is “taking significant action” on addressing the needs outlined by the social action groups, pointing to the proposed creation of a new housing department, funding the Office of the Tenant Advocate and another Kansas City Land Bank initiatives meant to help provide homes for people at risk of becoming homeless.
