We're prepared for upcoming rallies

Police are aware of and prepared for a rally set for Washington Square Park on Saturday, Sept. 9. It is slated to involve numerous groups and hundreds of people from across the political and ideological spectrum. We also are prepared that some of those people will have differing viewpoints and may not get along. Our only duty will be to ensure that everyone is safe as they exercise their constitutional right to free speech, as I outlined in my previous blog. We are there as a neutral party. The event isn’t about us, and we will remain as uninvolved as possible. But we will have the resources ready should more involvement be needed to maintain safety. 

We don’t know every group or person slated to attend. But as is our practice, we have reached out to organizers of groups who we know will be there so we can work together to ensure everyone’s safety. I want to be clear in stating that we never invite anyone to a demonstration or ask attendees to assist us with enforcement activities in any way.

Based on our conversations with organizers and other information, we created an operations plan. We do this for every rally/protest/demonstration in the city and have extensive experience in keeping these events peaceful and non-violent. We appreciate the thousands of people who have come out to make their voice heard on a number of issues in a peaceful manner. That’s one of the great things about Kansas City: the quality of its people.

To accommodate the demonstration, be aware that Grand Boulevard will be closed Saturday morning and afternoon from Pershing to about 25th Street. Emergency no-parking signs will be placed around Washington Square Park, so if you park on the street in that area, please move your vehicle by Friday night to prevent it from being towed. If you are going to Crown Center, you can still access their parking garage from the south entrance. Just be aware there could be traffic delays and/or trouble finding a parking spot around the park. We also are notifying businesses in the area of the planned demonstration.

The public can expect to see high police visibility in and around the park during the event. Keep in mind these all are officers on special assignment. None have been pulled from patrol in other areas.

There was a similar demonstration at Washington Square Park in June with about the same amount of people as are expected this weekend, and everything went well. And on Tuesday night, there was a large demonstration in support of “Dreamers” which was very peaceful. In those cases, we also communicated with organizers beforehand, and everyone was able to share their views while following the law.

The Kansas City Missouri Police Department wants a peaceful demonstration Saturday and at all future events, and our goal is to facilitate that.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org. 

The truth about how we respond to demonstrations and protests

Despite online rumors and conspiracy theories, let me be clear that the Kansas City Missouri Police Department never invites any person or groups to a demonstration. The KCPD does not sanction any demonstration events. In regard to a protest on Aug. 19, 2017, we never asked for any assistance from any militia group, nor would we.

The sole purpose of KCPD’s presence at any demonstration, rally or protest is to ensure everyone can peacefully and safely exercise their constitutionally guaranteed rights to speech and assembly.

Police cannot and will not favor one side over another, no matter how that group may align with our own personal ideals. Officers are only there to maintain peace. As a former Tactical Enforcement commander, I have done this many times. One of the most memorable – and an example of protecting constitutional rights even when we disagree with the message – is when KCPD was assisting the city of Joplin, Mo., after they were ravaged by a tornado in May 2011. A man who supported a group well known for hateful speech came to Joplin, and counter protests from a number of groups were planned. President Obama was scheduled to tour Joplin’s devastation on the same day. Dozens of KCPD officers were trying to maintain peace and order. Due to the building hostility, our officers tried to form a barrier between that particular demonstrator and counter-protestors when several people broke through and tried to attack the demonstrator. My fellow squad members and I tackled the demonstrator to protect him from the onslaught, and then we had to run him out of the crowd surrounded by officers. We undoubtedly saved his life, but ultimately we weren’t there to protect him. We were there to protect the Constitution.

KCPD members will speak with anyone who asks them questions about the safest way to go about a demonstration. A contact is not the same as “collusion,” which some on social media are alleging.

In fact, if police are aware of demonstrations in advance, we have a long-standing practice to reach out to event organizers days or weeks beforehand to give them a point of contact and trade concerns. Some groups even tell us how many people plan to be arrested.

Our policy reinforces what every officer is commanded to do at a demonstration: remain neutral and protect rights, people and property. This is what our policy states:

“A. All citizens have a constitutional right to peaceful assembly and protest. This department has a professional mandate to safeguard and protect all citizens as they exercise their constitutional rights.

“B. The role of law enforcement officers at a peaceful demonstration or strike scene is to protect life and property and keep the peace. Officers must assume and maintain a neutral and impartial demeanor toward the issues of the demonstration or strike.”

You can see the full policy on our web site (the Response to Protest section begins on p. 18).

Note the section that says officers will “maintain a neutral and impartial demeanor toward the issues of the demonstration or strike.”

A recent petition calls for us to cordon off people like militia members at future protests. Our department has a number of practices to maintain peace and order at such events, and we use the minimum amount of intervention and/or force necessary. Commanders were on scene closely monitoring the situation on Aug. 19 to determine whether any greater levels of intervention might be needed. At one point, a confrontation did start between the two groups, and we used a low-level intervention – officers on horses – to separate them.

KCPD will remain as uninvolved as we can to allow for the free expression of ideas. We cannot ask one group to leave a public park or other public area. If two families show up in a park, we can’t tell one to stay and one to leave, and the same applies to protest groups.

Our only goal is to create a safe environment for everyone exercising their rights and for those who may be nearby.