Why did Overland Park Black Lives Matter protest devolve into arrests — and what now?
Two racial justice protests in Overland Park. One brought unity. The other ended in arrests and anger. What made them so different?
Two simple things: the protesters’ actions and the police officers’ reactions.
After weeks of peaceful protests following the killing of George Floyd — including a well-orchestrated June 20 march from City Hall to downtown Overland Park — a protest went off the rails on a residential street near College Boulevard and Quivira the night of July 24: three arrests for ignoring repeated requests to stay on the sidewalk, and one for felony battery of law enforcement officers making an arrest.
At bottom, protesters should have obeyed multiple lawful orders to stay on the sidewalk. Period. But faced with repeated noncompliance, fed-up officers in what protesters viewed as riot gear began arresting violators. And that has left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths.
As one observer noted to me, frustrated policing isn’t often professional policing.
A week later, despite good dialogue and even better intentions, various interested parties are still not seeing eye to eye.
Police Chief Frank Donchez can’t think of anything officers could have done better.
“We issued numerous, numerous, numerous warnings to return to the sidewalk,” Donchez says. “We were very patient. We were very clear that they needed to move out of the street. It was not a knee-jerk reaction by any stretch. At some point, we needed to take action because we were not getting any compliance.”
In earlier residential protests, he says, “when we took no action, we literally received dozens and dozens of complaints from citizens and motorists. There were a lot of complaints about people in the street.”
For his part, Patrick Wotruba, CEO of protest organizer The Miller Dream LLC, defends protesters’ actions and decries the officers’.
“We know the civil disobedience part of it is kind of what caused it,” he said. “What we just weren’t prepared for is the response — to have SWAT team members come out on protesters who don’t have any weapons or any intent on destroying or fighting back against police officers. That was a big shock.”
He also said Miller Dream is releasing video that exonerates the man arrested for battery on officers — and that Miller Dream will continue using civil disobedience. “We want our message to get out, and we know we have to display a certain amount of disobedience to get that message out.”
Overland Park Police protest response warranted?
Fellow racial justice activist and lifelong Overland Park resident Linnaia McKenzie’s own organization staged the smooth-running June 20 march, and observed the July 24 Miller Dream protest on a live-stream. And she says even if protesters there overstepped their bounds by stepping over the curb, it’s hardly worth an arrest.
“We’re all allowed to use our First Amendment right how we wish to,” she says. “It’s disappointing to see that in response. We want the police department to advocate for us.”
McKenzie and Donchez are in regular contact and are quite amiable toward each other, but they also disagree sharply on the officers’ dress at the July 24 protest. Whereas police and protesters collaborated beforehand, and officers supportively went over with protesters what was to happen, reinforcements in helmets and shields later arrived once the curb-hopping became a chronic problem.
McKenzie questions whether the gear is really necessary, and quite correctly notes the intimidating, off-putting look of an officer ready for combat. Donchez argues officers need protection, considering what’s happened in other protests in Kansas City and around the nation, and says their helmets include communication devices that can be better heard in the din of an incident.
So noted. My default position is to back the blue until convinced otherwise. And that’s where I started in this case. But I have to go with McKenzie on this one. The chief doesn’t like the term “riot gear.” But the problem isn’t the term, it’s the appearance. And the tone it sets.
City Councilman Paul Lyons, chairman of the council’s Public Safety Committee — who also has a warm relationship with McKenzie — agrees with her that there’s a better way for officers to handle such situations. Although, he rightly adds that that will only work if protesters play ball.
“There’s always things we could do better,” he said. “I wish we could figure out a way to be a little more soft-handed with those kinds of things. That would only work if the protesters would at least give an indication that they’re wanting to cooperate with the police and stay within the law.”
McKenzie’s group and Councilwoman Holly Grummert, vice chair of the council’s Public Safety Committee, have scheduled a discussion for noon Saturday to seek a meeting of the minds. “A Community Conversation about Protesting, Policing and Policy” will be at the Indian Creek Trail park picnic shelter. At least one Miller’s Dream representative will be there, which is helpful.
They’re billing the event as family-friendly and open to all. I can certainly think of some families who would like an amicable solution to all this that doesn’t involve disturbances outside their homes at night.
Will protesters work with police to reduce arrests?
Police could also use some help getting out of the no-win situation of trying to keep protests lawful and safe without violating homeowners’ own rights or making arrests. And surely protesters can get their message across — one that I and most every American agrees with — without disturbance.
Despite his misgivings about how the Friday event played out, Lyons says body cameras show officers “did a great job in handling the situation, given the circumstances.”
Lyons and McKenzie agree that residential protests, especially ones gone bad, can ironically alienate the very people whom protesters are seeking as allies. And while saying the decision to take the racial justice message to neighborhoods is designed to wake people up to pervasive systemic inequality, McKenzie cautions, “I believe that maximum impact can be made when you bring as many people together as possible.”
Donchez likewise points to McKenzie’s June 20 event as the way to do things right.
“You would think that would be a good model for everybody,” he said.
Planning and executing protests in concert with police and local government leaders is paramount, McKenzie says. “We really can’t move forward unless we have their participation as the leaders of this community.”
Wotruba disagrees, saying, “At this time, we don’t have a desire to work with Overland Park Police Department. We would like the chief to resign. If we can get him to resign, we would have no problem working with the police department.”
I support the cause of Black Lives Matter, but McKenzie’s approach is more likely to further it.
“Whatever we can do to begin building that bridge of trust between the community — and especially the Black community and our police department — I think we’ll be able to open ourselves up eventually to seeing that they’re people too. And we are all a community that really needs to come together right now.”
After the regrettable events of July 24, that can’t happen soon enough.
