Could Kansas City have a weekend without a homicide? A cease-fire will test the question

Could Kansas City have a weekend without a homicide? A planned cease-fire will test that question.

Operation Cease Fire KC may not prevent all gun violence in Kansas City. But the community initiative sends an important message in a city that has recorded 65 homicides so far this year.

Although the total number of homicides is down 20 from the same point last year and eight from the year before, Kansas City remains a violent city. The 151 homicides here in 2017 were a 24-year high.

The third annual cease-fire will feature a full agenda of peaceful activities, including a gospel celebration on Friday and a health fair and family field day on Saturday. Many barbers and stylists will be providing free haircuts on Sunday.

One homicide was recorded during the 2016 event, and a couple of non-fatal shootings occurred on the first night of last year’s cease-fire.

This weekend’s goal is to eliminate gun violence during the 48-hour period stretching from 7 p.m. Friday to 7 p.m. Sunday and to encourage people to resolve conflicts peacefully, organizer Ronell Bailey said. Nearly half of Kansas City homicides with known motives in 2017 were ignited by arguments, police data show.

If a homicide occurs this weekend, Bailey will deliver messages to both the victim’s family and the perpetrator.

“If there is a murder during Operation Cease Fire KC, we plan on going on Facebook Live with a prayer for both families and encourage the guns to be put down,” he said.

The initiative provides the community an opportunity to stand together to denounce violent crime.

Reducing violence requires a concerted, continuing citywide effort. The responsibility to lower the crime rate falls squarely on the shoulders of everyday people in the community, as well as police and civic leaders.

For too long, pervasive gun violence has been a stain on our city. It would be naive to believe that simply declaring a cease-fire will convince everyone to put down their weapons down this weekend.

But if the community is behind this movement, it could be a deterrent, said Baltimore Cease Fire 365 organizer Erricka Bridgeford.

Baltimore, one of the nation’s most dangerous cities, recorded 12 days without a homicide after a cease-fire earlier this year. The city’s fourth cease-fire in May ended with no fatal shootings or stabbings.

“There is nothing more powerful than an entire city asking for peace at the same time,” Bridgeford said.

It takes a collective effort to stem the tide of gun violence. A homicide-free weekend would just be the start. But it is an important step in a broader push to reduce violent crime starting at the grassroots level.

This weekend’s celebration should be a community-wide reminder that we all must play in role in making Kansas City a safer place.

This story was originally published July 25, 2018 at 6:22 PM.