DEADLY AUTUMN HARVEST!!! TWO MORE YOUNG BLACK MEN CUT DOWN IN THE KANSAS CITY KILLING FIELDS!!! MAYOR SLY JAMES SAYS THERE'S NO "MAGIC" FIX!!!
This Fall season in Kansas City has been exceptionally deadly.
Early this morning The Kansas City Police Department released the names of the two latest homicide victims in a recent shooting.
The two victims were positively identified as Clarence L. Williams, 10/8/1992 and Candielario P. Benton, 6/6/1984.
Police urge anyone with information to contact the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477 or the Homicide Unit at 816-234-5043.
Notice the extremely young age of the men who died in this senseless act of deadly violence.
Many times in the past few months I've spoken with Kansas City Call Journalist Eric Wesson about the ongoing concern over the local murder rate. He adamantly and repeatedly speaks of the need for elected officials to develop a comprehensive plan in order to solve the problem. Not so long ago, I remember seeing Mr. Wesson on a public discussion program wherein he noted that if the same level of violence was taking place in the white community there would a far greater level of concern and action demanded. If you listened closely, it wasn't entirely a complaint regarding discrimination but simply an acknowledgment of the very real disparity that exists in our society and a challenge to ANYONE who really cares about protecting life in Kansas City.
After this latest shooting Kansas City Mayor Sly James offered one of the most troubling quotations I've ever witnessed in relation to Kansas City Homicide.
"Mayor Sly James, who went to the scene, expressed frustration over the city’s latest homicides.
“People always say, ‘You need to do something about this,’ as if there’s a magic wand that I or somebody can wave,” the mayor said."
The Mayor deserves respect for showing up to the scene, it's something that other leaders before him didn't bother to do.
BUT . . .
MAYOR SLY JAMES IS MISTAKEN IF HE THINKS THE PUBLIC DOESN'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO HOLD HIM ACCOUNTABLE FOR KANSAS CITY'S HOMICIDE RATE!!!
There might not be a magical solution but Mayor Sly James must accept that Kansas City's shamefully high murder rate is more important than the developer giveaways or urban chicken legislation that has previously occupied the time of his Administration.
So far, and admittedly early in his administration, the Mayor's only action against crime has been attending a few public meetings and returning a great many political favors in his appointment of a mostly worthless Crime Commission.
Also . . .
IT HAS NOT GONE WITHOUT NOTICE THAT WHEN VIOLENCE AND FLASH MOBS CONFRONTED THE PLAZA MAYOR SLY JAMES WAS FAR MORE PROACTIVE IN HIS APPROACH!!!
In response to Plaza violence the Mayor filibustered and quickly pushed through curfew legislation. Look at the disparity: When it comes to the Eastside murder rate Mayor Sly's response is decidedly more fatalistic.
In the meantime, death stalks the streets of Eastside Kansas City and so many young Black men are being cut down in the prime of their youth by a disgracefully disproportionate margin.
Kansas City doesn't need the Mayor to "wave a magic wand" to search for some kind of solution to this problem. However, what we've seen so far is that Mayor Sly James only steps swiftly into action when the fate of upscale merchants is at stake but when deadly violence strikes The Eastside he speaks primarily of his inability to fix the problem.
LINKS:
SOB Wired: The Green Duck Connection
2 dead after triple shooting at 26th and Prospect, KC police say
Double homicide raises violence concerns
Alonzo Washington: 86 murders in KCMO/Mayor Sly needs to do a Plaza response!
And here comes the n-word loser.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's clearly the mayor's fault that Eastsiders believe shooting someone is the natural response to any slightest transgression.
ReplyDeleteWe can fix in one generation, free birth control.
ReplyDeleteIf someone knows what the Mayor can do or say to stop all the killing's PLEASE speak up. I am sure he and anyone else would do it. Thank You
ReplyDeleteWesson is hack who plays the race card at the drop of the hat.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is the white community has seen times like this, a hundred years ago, and they did put a stop to it. Then they created a civil society that understands that shooting people for the fun of it is wrong. White communities work with the police and discourage this behavior before it gets started.
Why does the Eastside community need someone else to fix this problem? Get involved.
9/29/11 8:13 AM
ReplyDeleteIt's not for the Mayor to say.
We have a Police Department. It's called Police "work".
"Work" get it?
Police cant stop young ignorant fools from gunning eachother down. All the cops can do is try to piece the puzzle together to find out what happened.
ReplyDeleteThe murders are terrible.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile the inner city "non-parents" of uncontrolled and undisciplined youth and the "snitches get stitches" crowd reaps what they sow.
That said, it kills innocent youth and adults and harms all the rest of us.
The KCPD Precrime Division should have seen this developing and been on the scene minutes before things got bajiggity at the Green Duck.
ReplyDeleteYou cannot prevent homicides --- not from a law enforcement perspective; prevention starts at home, and these blacks simply have no positive family environment.
ReplyDeleteAll of you who bash the KCPD who is way understaffed, what is your solution for them? You could put 50 cops in a specific area, but there is too much hood to go around. You would just displace the crime to another area. The problem is the mind set of these dumb asses who are doing these crimes. REALITY, there is not a plan in the world that Sly the Police department or anyone else in the world can implement that will stop this unless the people doing it stop doing this stupid shit!! But hey if some of you geniuses want to put on a vest and solve the problem I'm sure the KCPD would love to have you. But I'm pretty sure you that won't happen, just more complaining about everyone who is not responsible for the crime!! Keep it up! Now the typical "windbag" responses can begin. Again a pussy way out of taking ownership of what the real problem is!!
ReplyDeleteIf you spend any time at all talking with th emayor and city council, you'd find that public safety isn't even on most of their radar screens. Just making it a high priority and a commitment to working with the police board, command staff, and prosecutor instead of fighting with each other would be a good start. When a councilmember says they don't meet with the police board because "they don't like each other", it's hard to take seriously the notion that the city just doesn't know what to do.
ReplyDeletePublic safety is the most basic responsibility of any level of government and should be the highest priority.
Either this issue is important and deserves attention, or it's not.
In KCMO, it's not, and until it is, and some leaders in the black community stand up and support cooperation with the police instead of preaching about the "slave master mentality", the violence and homicides will continue.
Sly has gotten lots of very practical suggestions and recommendations from lots of people and most of them don't even cost any money; just some time, command attention, and focus.
What's missing are some folks with the guts to do what has to be done, even though the usual east side suspects will shout racism, profiling, and all the same old crap they been recycling for decades.
Committees and studies don't hack it. Taking your governing responsiblities does.
So get on with it!
MAYOR SLY JAMES IS MISTAKEN IF HE THINKS THE PUBLIC DOESN'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO HOLD HIM ACCOUNTABLE FOR KANSAS CITY'S HOMICIDE RATE!!!
ReplyDeleteUnless he's doing the killing, how can we hold him accountable?
What he said about the magic wand is the most realistic statement I've heard from anyone in public office.
As 8:13 said, if anyone has something to contribute, the mayor would undoubtedly love the hear it.
7:56: Make that free and MANDATORY birth control.
ReplyDeleteSpay and neuter: It's not just for pets anymore.
When the police do enforcement in those areas all of black people through around the race card . Well guess what its you blacks doing the crime. Stop blaming everyone else. How many of these murders that happen daily are in areas with lots of witnesses???? EVERY FUCKING ONE OF THEM . But magically nothing is ever seen. Stop blaming the police for your ignorance and do your part.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how all you pukes blame the police but if you notice EVERY SINGLE MURDER NORTH OF THE RIVER( GODS COUNTRY) HAS BEEN SOLVED. You know why???? Well cause its mostly good ole white folk but that's just a side note.... It's cause people talk and don't want that shit in their daily lives..... So all you inner city blacks/ whites/ whoever's do your part to help. Or stop complaining cause your just as much to blame
Blacks ARE the problem. Their entire ethic, history, existence is a joke on humanity. They were, and are, a subspecies and therefore, should be treated like it. Any further attempt to humanize them beyond their basic capabilities will be useless. Birds gotta fly, fish gotta swim, blacks gotta steal/kill.
ReplyDeletePreachin to the choir. The ones who see stuff in the bar or somebody's front yard...they don't read TKC.
ReplyDeleteGet it? This has to be on TV...perps and witnesses watch TV the night after the shootings to see how the TV stations handled it.
This isn't a blogger issue. WHy isn't our bud, Alonzo on TV? He shoudl be someone to give good talking head...as opposed to old ministers and pro tem mayors.
Well said 9:31! I couldn't agree more with your statements. Crime and preventing or solving crime is not a priority of the elected officials in this city. One needs to look no further than the budget fight of 2008, and the two years since for evidence of that fact.
ReplyDeleteIn 2008 the police department got caught up in a fight between the former Mayor and the City Council. The Mayor was proposing more money for additional police officers to patrol the east side of the city where most violent crime occurs. The City Council at the time hated the Mayor and wasn't about to go along with anything the Mayor said.
The down market that year left the city with a budget shortfall. Public forums were held all over the city to solicate feedback about how to cut the city's budget. The City Council was told overwhelmingly that the citizens didn't want the police department's budget cut. Yet the City Council voted 12 to 1 to cut the PD budget by $15 million. In the two budget cycles since 2008, the City Council has left the police department's budget untouched, with no increases in funding.
Now fast forward to the present time. In order to pay the staff and keep the lights on the police have been forced to recoop salary savings by leaving budgeted positions unfilled. I was told at a community meeting last week that there are currently over 80 civilian positions vacant within the police department and more than 75 police positions unfilled. Yet, as the police official at the meeting pointed out, the work that was being done by those 155 people doesn't stop or go away. So, now they are pulling officers off the street to do the work previously done by the civilians. All of this is impacting service to the citizens of the city and violent crime continues on the east side of the city.
It seems to me if the Mayor and City Council were serious about stopping the violent crime in this city, they would find a way to fully fund the police budget and possibly even increase funding to pay for more cops. Of course they would have to stop handing out unreasonable 18 to 30% pay raises to the fire union, and giving out taxpayer dollars to every developer who comes up with a hairbrained real estate deal. So, they are not likely to take the safety of the citizens seriously anytime soon, and the violent deaths of the residents will just continue as usual.
Interesting that nobody is mentioning that this was directly on the East Patrol/Crime Lab site. Still think it is un-needed???
ReplyDelete956 your dead on. I work for the pd and the dept is way short with man power. Officers are having to work the desk or the jail cause they won't hire civilians to work those spots. Taking officers out of the field . Then there's the great new Rejis system that's takes 10 times the time to do stuff meaning officers are at HQ for 3 and 4 hours doing what the civ DFO should be doing so again less officers on the street . The dept never and I mean never comes to the officers in the field to ask or see what is good or needed . It's a really bad time between the backbone of the pd( patrol officers) and the uppers.
ReplyDeleteIf the community does not care, why should anyone else? White people can comment, complain and offer suggestions for the East Side, but the only people who can effectively solve the high murder rate are the residents themselves by refusing to tolerate bad behavior. As long as we are dealing with the "snitches and stitches" crowd, nothing will change.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, this area of town is just full of old people and real stupid youngsters. Any kid with anything going for him is long gone. He or she lives in places north, south, or west.
The only advantage to the East Side is that the residents of the other areas (black or white) don't have to be overly concerned about their neghborhoods or their safety when they are shopping or going out. The trash has all been dumped on the East Side, and we can all just stay away.
The concern to me is that I want it to be contained on the East Side. We just cannot allow this behavior to spread to other areas.
If the community does not care, why should anyone else? White people can comment, complain and offer suggestions for the East Side, but the only people who can effectively solve the high murder rate are the residents themselves by refusing to tolerate bad behavior. As long as we are dealing with the "snitches and stitches" crowd, nothing will change.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, this area of town is just full of old people and real stupid youngsters. Any kid with anything going for him is long gone. He or she lives in places north, south, or west.
The only advantage to the East Side is that the residents of the other areas (black or white) don't have to be overly concerned about their neghborhoods or their safety when they are shopping or going out. The trash has all been dumped on the East Side, and we can all just stay away.
The concern to me is that I want it to be contained on the East Side. We just cannot allow this behavior to spread to other areas.
Live like a thug, die like a nigger.
ReplyDeleteTony, you quickly criticize the mayor and others, but if you were in their positions, WHAT WOULD YOU DO TO SOLVE THE MURDER PROBLEM?
ReplyDeleteIt takes absolutely no talent to criticize!
The birth control comments are right on.
ReplyDeleteCall in the National Guard and then declare open season on niggers....That ought to do it.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is all the bleeding hearts that turn our prisons into RR time. People in prison get more than people that try to do the righ tthing. Bring back the HARD LABOR CAMPS, and start making punishment FIT the crime!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe Mayor is doing a lot more than the other guy. He deserves some credit for facing the issue
ReplyDeleteIf you read 9:56's comment it seems that Funkhouser was trying to do something, but then he & the council got sidetracked over Gloria's behavior. James is 'facing the issue', but he needs to talk about this funding. Mark was right on this one & I can't believe that in three years this hasn't been revisited. The presence of police deters crime.
ReplyDelete10:14 nailed it..
ReplyDeleteThe answer to this is more ammo and heavier weapons. When the thugs turn the East Side into Beirut and all that's left are smoking ruins perhaps something can be done.
ReplyDeleteWhen crime goes down the police tell the BOPC that its because of new foot patrol, a new strategic plan, community policing, PAL programs, DARE, drug sweeps. BUT but when crime goes up its a parenting issue.
ReplyDeleteThe KCPD has a large budget.
ReplyDeleteProblem is the correct usage of our tax dollars. More cops on the streets and paper work done by civilians. Better equipment... more high tech tools and cut down on the overtime.
No more babysitting entertainment business districts. The cost of doing business includes security paid by the venues. No more expansion of this city, we have enough to deal with.
Mayor James has made himself accountable. He promised to reduce the crime in KC when he was running for office. His tired punchline was something like "You don't see PhDs on the corner of 39Th and Prospect committing crimes."
Get a move on mayor! Crimes 'a wasting!!
How about partolling the high crime areas with the MOUNTED UNIT. If not, then get rid of that waste of money!!! You could also pull the officers from the CAN center who get so much praise for workign with illegals, and have them work the same magic in the high crime areas.
ReplyDeleteHere we go again.. black people killing black people is the white mans fault. I like the way Wesson says "if this happened in a white neighborhood...." WELL IT DOESN'T! White people don't kill each other over a punk as comment. If it did happen in a white neighborhood, you bet your ass we would have a fit and we would find the SOB who did it. Black people know who's doing the killing but refuse to "snitch". If they refuse to take care of their own neighborhood, then so be it. Quite complaining about disparity FFS.
ReplyDeleteI like how the news conference this afternoon said let's rename prospect to MLK . Renaming the street won't fix niggers being niggers. Just more proof niggers are stupid . MLK would turn over in his grave if he new how the planet of apes was acting . We have the real life planet of apes right here in KC
ReplyDeleteIt is certainly not a stretch to encourage everyone to look at the KC School District's leadership and match it with the ongoing criminal element in the city. Look at that dumb-assed Airwick West, with his corn-rows and gold teef. Then, gaze on the rest of the crew, none of which are much better. That is the caliber of "people" that are teaching our "scholars" (really stupid negro term) and encouraging them to continue with this self-destructive life style. What, has the rest of society taken a total leave of their senses and just given over the city to become a literal, City of the Apes???
ReplyDeleteWhy are we supposed to care about a bunch of gun toting thugs trying to 1 up each other? Their own neighborhoods don't care except to get them off the streets. When the police try to do something all they hear is a bunch of racial crap from people like Tony and Alonzo claiming that they are picking on the eastside. You want equality. Get off your fat ass, stop sponging off the public or your mom and do something beside whine.
ReplyDeletePeople make fun of DUI traffic stops and aggressive enforcement of such laws as littering, panhandling, prostitution, drug dealing in public, immigration status (gasp!), vandalism, etc.
ReplyDeleteA significant number of people involved in these crimes are also involved in more serious crimes, such as murder.
Get them off the streets. Harass them until they move somewhere else.
Keep building prisons until only decent people are left in the neighborhoods.
Patrol some of these neighborhoods as if they were the Plaza and you heard there was going to be a flash mob. Do one neighborhood, then move to another, then another, then another.
If the new police chief would do this, he would be a hero. Why, they might even rename Prospect Avenue after him!
The new interim police chief is a woman you fucking idiot.
ReplyDeleteOK, name Prospect after her.
ReplyDeleteThe only solution is for Alonzo-hole & Al Brooks to get a truck load of candles and start the vigils while pleading( meaning bribes) for crime tips from all the concerned eastside citizens to help solve the crime problems on MLK Blvd!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteDear Tony: Thanks for this post. As of today we are up to 87 homicides for 2011--compared to 81 at this time last year. Of these 87 homicides, 69 are black and 18 are other races. At his point in 2007, before the homicide surge in the black neighborhoods began in the spring of 2008, we were at 45 black homicides and 24 for other races. Long past time for the city's leadership to do something about the ongoing explosion of violence in the black neighborhoods of KCMO. Take care. Sincerely and Respectfully, Ernest Evans
ReplyDeleteDear Mayor:
ReplyDeleteHere is what you can do: Tear down every single vacant building in that zip code. Pay all the unemployed men in the area to salvage all the bricks, stone, wood, etc. Pay they all weekly in cash. You just put 3,000 men to work and you cleane3d out the blight in the deadliest neighborhood in the country.
Congrats. You are now a genius.
6:53
ReplyDeleteAs if they would show up for work.
Three guys walk into a bar and sit down. A cowboy, an indian, and a black dude. The indian says once we were many and now we are few. The black guy says once we were few and now we are many. The cowboy says THATS BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T PLAYED COWBOYS AND NIGGERS YET.
ReplyDeleteMAYBE ITS THAT TIME.
TKC, you ignorant, non-sequitir machine! Huge cultural forces are at work here, and the Mayor is hardly more responsible for the 2011 murder rate, or able to stem it, than you are.
ReplyDeleteSly is doing an okay job. Don't burden him with this. He can't even control his son.
ReplyDelete