Viral video shows scary ‘street takeovers’ in downtown Kansas City. What’s going on?

There are much more lawless things to do. But few things cry out lawlessness more than multiple drivers blatantly taking over major intersections to burn rubber while doing “doughnuts” for long stretches of time.

It’s a blatant nose-thumbing to society, and while it’s happening nationally, it’s going on with more and more frequency in Kansas City. Video of one such incident Sunday made the rounds on social media. The cars spinning out recklessly in circles lasted for some 20 minutes on Grand Boulevard near the T-Mobile Center.

The thing is, there’s apparently not much authorities can do about what have become known as “street takeovers.” Police say they do respond to the illegal car stunt events, which seem to be scheduled or at least orchestrated, as they sometimes draw large crowds of pedestrian spectators. But when police arrive, the drivers flee. And it would be too risky for everyone to pursue them at high speeds, Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith said.

“I dislike it. I think it’s dangerous. It sends the wrong message,” Smith said. But “we’re not going to chase (perpetrators) and put someone else at peril for someone spinning their tires in an intersection. The danger that puts the rest of the public in way outweighs the prospect of stopping that car and issuing them a simple citation for a traffic violation.”

Kansas City Police Department spokesperson Jake Becchina said officers responded to the incident Sunday after receiving dozens of calls about it and dispersed the crowd. Beyond that, he said, careless driving and exhibition of speed ordinances would mainly apply — if a suspect were detained.

“It is something that we’ve been hearing about, more so this year than past years,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said, ascribing part of the trend to COVID-19 fatigue and less traffic. “We need to make sure we’re doing more. They should be dealt with, and they should be broken up.”

While Lucas has promoted the decriminalization of marijuana, he says this is different:

“When we say that we don’t want people to go to jail for certain things, it doesn’t mean that you want nuisance crimes to not be enforced. They absolutely should be enforced. These are still crimes. They still impact the quality of life, whether your neighborhood is 55th and Ward Parkway or 13th and Grand, or 22nd and Prospect. You deserve to have the same level of policing and the same enforcement of our laws as anyone else.

“There’s a reason we have permits and permitting. It’s not just for city revenues. It’s to make sure people can actually be safe with things. These are wholly unsafe.”

Lucas and Smith have conferred about it and agree that a more specific city ordinance may be needed. The mayor said his office is looking at it. Smith said other areas of the country have done such things as impounding involved cars for 30 days.

“If there’s worse of a sanction to that, they’re most likely not going to do it. Without some other tools in the toolbox, I don’t know how else we’re going to address this,” Smith said.

City Councilman Kevin O’Neill said he saw the video. “Frankly, it looked somewhat dangerous for those standing outside their cars,” he said.

More needs to be done, especially since Kansas City has marketed its downtown as a place to live. As one downtown resident told The Star, someone could get killed in one of these incidents.

And while the police chief noted that the incidents could be laughed off by some as the young blowing off some steam, he maintained that they’re dangerous and unacceptable. As evidence, a 20-year-old woman was killed and another person injured in September when a shooting broke out at an impromptu and illegal street racing and car stunt scene. In May, seven people were shot at three locations when more than 1,000 people and hundreds of vehicles gathered for illegal street racing in the 7100 block of Eastwood Trafficway.

Not only is this phenomenon a hazard and a nuisance to those nearby, it’s a test of society’s resolve to maintain law and order. Make no mistake — if we fail this test, bigger ones will follow.