Did WyCo commissioner mock racist graffiti sprayed on DA Dupree’s church? | Opinion

Wyandotte County Commissioner Phil Lopez denied he made light of racist graffiti found on a sign at Grace Tabernacle Family Life Outreach Center in KCK. District Attorney Mark Dupree is senior pastor there.

But Lopez’s attempts to downplay his initial response suggests he’s trying to walk back his questionable behavior.

The N-word was apparently misspelled on the church’s sign, prompting this reply from Lopez: “Wow. Kids can’t spell correctly.”

He made the comment on Mayor Tyrone Garner’s Facebook page and was met with considerable blowback — as he should have.

“Well this is disappointing to see as a response,” Facebook user Kimberly Weaver wrote.

Another user, Amber Adams, wrote: “The spelling is what you’re concerned about?”

“No,” Lopez replied. “I’m concerned we have parents that are not parenting. I’m concerned we have kids graffitiing. I’m concerned we have kids that can not spell correctly.”

But no concern expressed over what Kansas City, Kansas Police Department spokeswoman Nancy Chartrand said this week was being investigated as a hate crime? That’s rich.

“The KCKPD Investigations Bureau is utilizing its federal partners as they continue to investigate this incident,” Chartrand wrote in an email.

Instead of unequivocally denouncing the use of the slur, Lopez seemingly chose to mock it. When I asked Lopez about his comment, he said he was not downplaying the incident.

“I am not mocking racism by no means,” Lopez, a Hispanic man, wrote in a text message. “My grandparents, my parents, even my siblings and I have dealt with racism. So why would I on God’s green earth mock racism?”

Frankly, I have a hard time believing Lopez.

Lopez has a history of making incendiary remarks, some of which I will touch on later . In his latest faux pas, the District 6 commissioner took to Garner’s page to chime in, tried to explain away his response, and only days later, finally called out racism.

“This whole thing is very disappointing,” Lopez wrote to me in a text. You don’t say?

“The word. The graffiti. The plain evilness,” he continued. “We have no room for racism. My Mexican heritage has been dealing with racism since as far back as I can remember.”

Why didn’t he just share those thoughts on Garner’s post to begin with?

I appreciate Lopez’s willingness to reply to my inquiry. But let’s not fool ourselves here: His comment, while not overtly racist, was wrong, insensitive and demeaning to some. One only has to look at Garner’s response or one from fellow Commissioner Andrew Davis to get a better understanding of why Lopez completely missed the mark.

‘Let’s spread love not hate’

“During the season for peace, love, goodwill for all people, this right here is beyond shameful, disgusting, disgraceful, and not who we are, or ever should be in Wyandotte County,” Garner wrote on Facebook, alluding to the graffiti. “We are better than this. Let’s work harder to love one another, let’s spread love not hate. We must unite to reject hate, and together let’s work to ensure the unwelcomed virus of hate never infects our caring community.”

Davis wrote on his campaign Facebook page : “There is no place for the cowardly act that took place yesterday at Grace Tabernacle Church. Racism and bigotry has no place in Wyandotte County. We have to do better.”

The words echoed by Garner and Davis illustrate the appropriate response Lopez should have made on social media. He needs to tone down some of his antics. Racist dog whistles and inappropriate behavior are unbecoming of any elected official.

Lopez is no stranger to controversy. One month before he was elected in 2023, he compared WyCo’s Board of Public Utilities to Nazis. In May, he made racially offensive comments about “little Black girls” during a public meeting. This past summer, he was accused of making an obscene gesture during another meeting.

Lopez has shown a pattern of behavior that calls into question his fitness for public office.

As this investigation unfolds, I hope we’ll learn more about the motive for the incident.

However, Lopez is playing with fire and his behavior regarding this matter is unacceptable. He needs to apologize for his inappropriate response to a hateful act.

This story was originally published December 11, 2025 at 5:06 AM.