Letters

Cop an Attitude
I disagree with some of Bruce Rodgers' views about how nice and respectful the black community is in Westport ("Saturday Night Special," August 17). I will not go down there anymore, due to the pickpockets, fights, and general arrogance of the black males who do nothing but stand in the middle of the street calling out obscene names to the females walking to the bars. The black males will come up in packs and hit on white women who are holding hands with their mates. Is this what you would call nice, orderly conduct? I think Rodgers should get his facts straight before he writes an article.

I certainly believe that there should be places for younger people to go and hang out, but I'm just not sure Westport is it. Westport is more or less designed as a bar district, so the clientele should be at least of drinking age, in my opinion.

When I came to Kansas City about two years ago, Westport was awesome. Everyone was well-mannered, and all were there to have a good time. There were not many police around, because there wasn't a need for any. Now, just two years later, it seems like it's become a madhouse. There has even been a shooting. That used to never happen. People are being arrested for being in Westport with weapons and drugs. That's not exactly the kind of entertainment area the majority of Kansas City residents want to be a part of.

The last time I went to Westport, I was with a group of four women and one other gentleman. We went to Harpo's for a couple of hours, and when we left, we had to walk through huge crowds of predominantly black males while we were trying to get to our car. We basically had to force our way through the crowd, me in the front and one male at the rear with the four women in between us scared out of their minds. I'm all for partying and having a good time, but these guys shouted obscene names, attempted to grope the women, and I almost had my wallet taken from me. This may be an isolated incident, and with the new police force in place, it may now be a much safer area, but that night it certainly was not.

I feel most sorry for the businesses in that area. It used to be such a nice place to go on a Friday or Saturday night, but now, I don't choose to go anywhere near the place.
-- Name Withheld Upon Request
Olathe

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It's people like Kip Ludwigs who clog our legal system with trivial lawsuits for alleged civil rights violations. Instead of just following the officer's instructions, Miss Ludwigs had to know "why." Hey, this cop has a couple thousand drunk people to deal with. We don't pay him to explain "why"; we pay him to keep that area safe. It's not like the cops told her, "You cannot buy that falafel!" or "You cannot wear that shirt!" This girl takes a simple crowd control issue and turns it into a personal attack on her civil liberties.

Great, she kicked off her career as a political radical by getting arrested for defending her right to cut through a parking lot. Abbie Hoffman would be proud. On the scale of oppression it doesn't quite compare to being forced to sit in the back of the bus or having to use a separate water fountain.
-- Doug Rinehart
Kansas City, Missouri

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Thanks for the coverage on Westport. I would highly recommend that members of KC's police force visit the New Orleans police force. When I visited New Orleans, their police force maintained order without the overwhelming presence like that of the KC cops. The crowds are a lot larger and are quite drunk down in the French Quarter. But, it appears from their experience with Mardi Gras and other street festivals, they know when a crowd is unruly and when folks are just having a good time.

This comment is from one visit to New Orleans and conversations with a small sampling of the locals there, but from my limited exposure and conversations, there seemed to be a sensitivity to large-crowd behavior in an atmosphere similar to Westport.

Maybe KC just needs to designate an area where crowds and open drinking is permitted.
-- Lonnie Smith
Bloomington, Illinois

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American Graffiti
I just read the Kansas City Strip article on the Pleasant Valley Skate Park (August 17), and Mary De Shon needs to get some of her facts straight.

There is a pay phone at the park; it is over by the ball fields. All the regulars know this and will tell anyone who asks. Additionally, in today's world, there is almost always someone there who has a cell phone (kids included) and will let someone use it if needed.

With regards to the graffiti, most of the tags are quite artistic in nature. Some of them have to do with bands the kids listen to, others with companies whose business is Rollerblading, skateboarding, or freestyle bikes. There are a few that are in poor taste, but just like with anything in today's world you have those few who create a bad impression for everyone associated with the sport.