2 killed, 5 others shot in KC’s 18th & Vine District. Is it time to increase security?
What would the public outcry look like if seven people were shot in Westport or at the Country Club Plaza in less than a month?
After two deadly incidents this summer In Kansas City’s predominantly Black 18th & Vine Jazz District, the collective silence has been notable.
In June, five people were shot — one fatally — after an argument led to a gun battle in the 18th and Vine area. The crime scene stretched across blocks, police said. Officers found bullet holes in several dwellings, and more than 100 shell casings littered the street, witnesses said.
At least two people fired weapons, police said, but several people opened fire after the initial shots rang out, a witness told The Star Editorial Board.
Less than three weeks later, a double shooting left 22-year-old Marcus Stone dead and another person injured.
The 18th and Vine entertainment district sits in the heart of the urban core. City Councilwoman Melissa Robinson said the neighborhood lacks the financial resources to pay for off-duty police and security officers, which can be found in abundance in other entertainment districts, including Westport and the Power & Light District.
Westport instituted enhanced security measures in 2018 after a string of shootings and other violent crimes. Every Friday and Saturday between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., partygoers are met with metal detectors and wands upon entry.
Between six and 10 off-duty officers are present, and private security is hired using fees from the Westport Community Improvement District. The Power & Light Entertainment District, a private development that received public subsidies, has similar protocols.
The shootings this summer in the 18th and Vine area have appropriately led to calls for stepped-up security measures — but no action.
“The funding is not there,” Robinson said, noting that an 18th and Vine Community Improvement District, or CID, proposed by City Councilman Brandon Ellington was shot down earlier this summer. The CID would have used sales tax revenue to pay for more police officers and better lighting, among other improvements.
It’s imperative that the proposal for an 18th and Vine Community Improvement District be revisited. In the interim, proceeds from the sale of city-owned property in 18th and Vine could yield just over $1 million, and some of those funds could be used to pilot a public safety program, Robinson said.
“We have to be creative in how we approach this,” Robinson said.
The city owns a majority of the properties in the 18th and Vine district and has made significant investments in the area. Yet, Kansas City leaders continue to drag their feet. Redevelopment has been slow. Public safety has not been adequately addressed.
“We have to figure out how to keep people safe,” Mayor Quinton Lucas said. “18th and Vine is too important for our region.”
The Jazz District is home to the American Jazz Museum, the Gem Theater, the Blue Room and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Bob Kendrick, director of the Negro Leagues museum, said any measure that makes security a priority would be welcome.
Other stakeholders have voiced concerns about an aggressive police presence and the potential for racial profiling.
Finding the right balance between protecting and serving the community and respecting the rights of patrons requires a collaborative approach between police and the neighborhood.
Westport officials have carefully navigated that challenge and have not reported any civil rights violations since enhanced security measures began more than two years ago.
Kiona Sinks, the founder of the professional networking group Black Excellence KC, helped start a petition on Change.org calling on the City Council to make public safety a priority in and around the jazz district.
“People want to feel safe in 18th and Vine,” Sinks said.
After two fatal shootings, that may be a steep challenge. The City Council needs to move swiftly to send the message that public safety is a priority in the 18th & Vine Jazz District.