Kansas City police arrested five for trespassing during Wednesday night protest
Kansas City police arrested five people for trespassing Wednesday night during a protest that followed a Kentucky grand jury’s decision not to bring charges for the killing of Breonna Taylor.
In an email Thursday, Kansas City Police Department spokeswoman Doaa El-Ashkar said the five were arrested for trespassing at police headquarters in downtown Kansas City, which was the site of the protest. By late Thursday morning, El-Ashkar said, they had been released.
About 80 demonstrators had gathered Wednesday night calling for justice for Taylor, who was killed during a drug raid in Louisville. Kansas City demonstrators also demanded justice for Cameron Lamb, Ryan Stokes and Donnie Sanders, all Black men who were shot and killed by Kansas City police in separate incidents.
Stacy Shaw, a protest leader, said the trespassing arrests were made after demonstrators, including leaders and organizers, crossed the “no trespassing” signs posted outside KCPD headquarters to place flowers and photos of individuals killed by officers next to a statue in front of the building.
Shaw said the space in front of the headquarters is a public forum that police unjustly declared private property.
“It’s very clear that they’re using these arrests as an intimidation tactic,” Shaw, an attorney, said. “They’re doing this on purpose to try to scare us.”
Ryan Sorrell, an organizer with Black Rainbow, said the movement will not be deterred by the arrests.
“It’s incredibly disheartening that at a time when people are coming together to grieve and to express righteous anger that he police are not focused on reforming themselves or bringing solutions to the black community,” Sorrell said. “Instead their number one priority is intimidating people who are seeking justice.”
The protesters marched from the police department to the Jackson County Detention Center, where they chanted “abolish jails” and “we hear you,” as detainees banged on windows. Then they walked back to the police station.
Speakers addressing the group called for the firing of Police Chief Rick Smith.
“Who ain’t afraid of cops?” Shaw asked.
“We ain’t afraid of cops,” the group responded.
After the protest concluded, Shaw said, demonstrators proceeded to the police stations where the five people were being detained. They moved between the three facilities — south patrol, metro patrol and shoal creek — until all five were released Wednesday night.
Before the protest, several Kansas City groups expressed frustration over the grand jury decision in Kentucky.
In Facebook post, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City said the decision proved “yet again that Black Lives DO NOT MATTER in America.”
Protests in cities across the U.S. came after prosecutors said two officers who fired their weapons at Taylor, a Black woman, were justified in using force to protect themselves after they faced gunfire from her boyfriend.
The only charges brought by the grand jury were three counts of wanton endangerment against fired Officer Brett Hankison for shooting into Taylor’s neighbors’ homes during the raid.
The FBI is still investigating potential violations of federal law in the case.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 2:59 PM.
