Angry community activists demand removal of Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith
As the names of those who were killed by Kansas City police officers were read one by one, a group of protesters stood Tuesday during the monthly Board of Police Commissioners with their arms raised and their right fists clenched in a sign of unity.
Tuesday marked the first time the police board met in a public setting since Det. Eric DeValkenaere was found guilty of second-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the Dec. 3, 2019 shooting death of Cameron Lamb.
Nearly a dozen citizens addressed the police board, voicing their anger and criticizing them for not speaking about the fatal shooting and comments made by Police Chief Rick Smith who was captured on audio captured minutes after the shooting saying the “bad guy’s dead.”
The recording along with conviction of DeValkenaere renewed calls from faith leaders and community activists for Smith to step down or be removed as police chief.
“Rick Smith never questioned his detectives, never gave thought of his humanity or if Cameron’s rights had been violated by his detective,” said Steve Young, one of the founders of Friday Night Protest, which demonstrated last summer.
“This is the type of leadership we have witnessed since Rick Smith was appointed chief of police. He has allowed his officers to terrorize my community. This is terrible leadership, and it has enabled his cops to go unchecked for years.”
Lora McDonald, executive director of the Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equity (MORE2), an interfaith social justice organization, said Smith has protected officers who have been accused of excessive use of force while the police board has done little to address community concerns.
While speaking to board members, McDonald mentioned five Kansas City police officers who have faced criminal charges in Jackson County Circuit Court. Among them is Sgt. Matthew Neal, charged with assaulting a teen in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant in 2019.
“You have allowed that to be OK,” McDonald said to board members. “It’s happened on your watch and you get to decide whether to do what’s right. But you white people up here you aren’t doing right by this community. “
“If that was a 15-year-old white girl who went to St. Teresa’s, who was assaulted at Chick-fil-A instead of Go Chicken Go, you would be up in arms.”
Throughout the public comment portion of the police board meeting, audience members shouted “Black Power. Power to the People.” They also sneered and mocked police officials as they made presentations to board members.
Khadijah Hardaway, a community activist, said Smith should be fired and yelled: “Shame on you.”
Several speakers criticized the police board for moving the public comment portion to the end of the meeting.
Commissioner Cathy Dean said that complaint was unwarranted.
“We appreciate having the public here to hear the reports and see the activities of the department,” Dean said. “It is not in any way to punish you and make you stay. We have had many people come up and say they appreciate the fact that they learned things when they sat here.”
During his comments to the police board, Smith did not address any of the comments made by protesters or the recent announcement by commissioners that he would retire as police chief in the spring, several months earlier than what he told them privately.
According to a draft memo obtained by The Star, Smith will formally announce his plans to retire in early April and would leave the position on April 22.
Instead, Smith noted that violent crimes and the number of homicides this year were down from a year ago.
“As we have mentioned before, there are many cities across the country that are not in the position we have,” he said.
As of the end of November, there were 32 non-fatal shootings, which is down 24% compared with the period in 2020.
“We are very lucky here that we are trending in the right direction,” Smith said. “And so I just wanted to compliment our community for trying to help with that.”
Also on Tuesday, the police board voted 5-0 to spend $2.6 million to give pay raises to uniform officers and civilian workers. The money would come from salary savings through attrition and unpaid overtime pay. The pay increase will take effect on Jan. 14, 2022.
Police commissioners met last week with members of the Kansas City Council to discuss its proposed budget allocation for the next fiscal year.
The police board recently approved a proposed $281 million budget that includes pay increases for officers and calls for money to pay for new police academy classes.
During those discussions, board president Mark Tolbert said it was essential that the two sides met to avoid issues that led to a civil lawsuit commissioners filed against the City Council.
