That's a lot of murders, the Strip thought. Sure, it's not as many as last year, when the body count ended up at 127. This year, Lockhart told the Strip, he expects the grim total to come in at around 90. This time last year, we'd already hit 95.
By the time this issue of the Pitch went to press, we were up to 75. And that's still a lot of dead people. Weirdly, though, city leaders don't seem that upset about it.
At this time last year, Jackson County Prosecutor Mike Sanders was putting up signs all over the city proclaiming that "The Silence Is Killing Us." Activist and comic-book illustrator Alonzo Washington was launching a "start snitching" campaign with Ron Hunt. And after the city's 96th homicide, Mayor Pro-Tem Alvin Brooks introduced a resolution to convene a commission of police, prosecutors, and psychology and sociology experts to address the city's homicide rate. The City Council unanimously approved the resolution (Councilman Troy Nash said he hoped the result wouldn't just be an "academic exercise"), and the commission went to work.
One October later, the shotgun death of Devin McDonald, murder victim No. 71, at 72nd Street and Paseo, barely registered as a blip on the news. Where are the candlelight vigils?
"That's the problem with our community," activist Ron McMillan tells the Strip. "We don't stick to nothing. It's all right for us to march, or be emotional for a minute, but that don't do nothing. You have to put pressure on your council people and push for implementation of what's in the [crime commission] report. You don't just take the report and start chewing it up like dog food."
At the October 2 meeting of the Black Agenda Group, which assembles weekly to address problems in the community, McMillan scorched a roomful of 50 people, at the Rev. Wallace Hartsfield's church at 23rd Street and Linwood, for failing to pick up a free copy from City Hall.
"It was an indescribable fiasco," McMillan says. "They're supposed to be an advocacy group.... I told them I was disappointed. I wanted an endorsement of the process. That's the way they do things in a political society — you find a group that best supports the evidence, and then we move forward and try to handle the problem."
This procrastinating porterhouse hadn't read the report, either, so it finally checked www.cityclerk.kcmo.org and downloaded a copy. The Strip was feeling guilty enough that it was prepared to stay up until it had finished all 160 pages.
But after page 50, the report's analysis ends. Its startling revelations? That crime is linked to a host of problems that plague Kansas City's east side neighborhoods — problems such as poverty, returning parolees, unemployment, drug and alcohol abuse, absentee landlords, gang activity and school dropouts.
Christ, people, the Strip could have reported that for free, too.
The next 100 pages were all appendices — a lengthy list of Kansas City agencies and nonprofits and detailed biographies of each of the 29 crime commissioners (including Sanders, McMillan, Anita Russell of the NAACP and Gwen Grant of the Urban League), as well as the commission's staff and consultants.
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My name is Venita Young and my daughter Skylar Young Plays on the Della Lamb Running Amgels 4th Grade A Team which were 6-0 at the AAU Tournament this pass weekend. This was the first time that any team has ever swept the AAU tournament. The team has now qualified to travel to the Nationals in Kenner, LA in June. I felt that this would be something positive that you can let the community know in Kansas City. The team is a small organization and has been winning against all the teams that have huge backing. All the other teams are not from the inter-city and are not a minority team. Also you do need to know that these girls also make excellent grades in school. I thought you might want to know this information since you are big on helping the kids in our community. If you find this information interesting please feel free to contact Venita Young at 816-471-2299 or Coach Anthony Woods at Della Lamb, 816-260-5326
My name is Venita Young and my daughter Skylar Young Plays on the Della Lamb Running Amgels 4th Grade A Team which were 6-0 at the AAU Tournament this pass weekend. This was the first time that any team has ever swept the AAU tournament. The team has now qualified to travel to the Nationals in Kenner, LA in June. I felt that this would be something positive that you can let the community know in Kansas City. The team is a small organization and has been winning against all the teams that have huge backing. All the other teams are not from the inter-city and are not a minority team. Also you do need to know that these girls also make excellent grades in school. I thought you might want to know this information since you are big on helping the kids in our community. If you find this information interesting please feel free to contact Venita Young at 816-471-2299 or Coach Anthony Woods at Della Lamb, 816-260-5326
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