Before KC Council committee, protesters decry police treatment outside Donald Trump rally

Protesters told a Kansas City Council committee Wednesday that they were badly mistreated by police outside presidential candidate Donald Trump’s March 12 rally.

“I’m outraged and appalled at the conduct of the Kansas City police officers,” Keith Brown-el told the public safety committee, adding that there was “no excuse” that police randomly pepper-sprayed the crowd.

Brown said most officers behaved well, but the conduct of a few was deliberately antagonistic to people who were peacefully exercising their First Amendment protest rights.

Others complained that the pepper spray was a frightening experience to them and children in the crowd, left them with painful side effects and gave them a terrible sense of injustice and unfairness.

They said they had witnessed police officers acting friendly with Trump supporters while being hostile with Trump opponents.

They were also angry that public safety committee members previously had praised the police handling of the large crowds outside the rally.

“It would be fair if we had our side,” said A.J. Salazar.

Rep. Brandon Ellington said he was not in Kansas City that night, but he had seen video of the pepper-spraying and considered it to be outrageous. He said police should have been there to protect the protesters, not pepper-spray them.

Police Chief Darryl Forté was not at the public safety committee meeting, nor was any representative of the police force that dealt with the Trump crowds. But the chief has blogged that police were dealing with a bomb threat inside the Midland theater and officers felt they were being encroached on by Trump protesters on both sides of the street.

The chief said the video was a “small moment in time” and did not reflect the whole story.

Shane Stange, one of four people arrested for disorderly conduct, testified and demanded that evidence be publicly presented of the bomb threat, which he was skeptical actually occurred.

April Foster, who was arrested for allegedly slapping a police horse outside the rally, also testified and told the committee she is an animal lover.

“I hurt no animal that night,” she said.

She said that police unnecessarily came to her office, handcuffed her and harassed her family and friends and that there was no justification of how people were treated when they had every right to protest that night.

Committee chair Alissia Canady thanked the group for taking the time to come to City Hall to tell the story of their experience outside the rally that night. She said she had no doubt the pepper spray was traumatic.

She added that police felt what was happening to them “was traumatic as well,” drawing howls of derision from those in the audience.

Canady said this is the start of a good conversation and the council will try to follow up, including with more discussion with the police chief.

But she also noted that the Police Department is mostly accountable to the Board of Police Commissioners, which is appointed by the governor, and said the protesters should take their concerns to that group as well.

She also advised them that the police has an office for citizen complaints, which is an avenue for the protesters to pursue.

This story was originally published March 23, 2016 at 12:58 PM with the headline "Before KC Council committee, protesters decry police treatment outside Donald Trump rally."