The prolific right-wing scribe shared a simple message this week that sparked a social media firestorm.
Background . . .
When Mayor Lucas was first elected, he garnered surprising support from police & conservatives who vehemently opposed openly gay candidate Jolie Justus.
Since that time, it's fair to note that the relationship betwixt Mayor Lucas, law enforcement and conservatives has deteriorated.
Now . . .
Mr. Cashill's apology didn't take a whole Sunday issue of the newspaper. Instead, the terse post simply offered a familiar photo and noted . . .
Surprisingly, Mayor Lucas responded with an odd line that was probably a reference to Senator Hawley's recent rebuke from colleagues following the insurrection at the Capitol . . .
"You and Jack Danforth have much in common."
With that, Mr. Cashill offered a bit more context . . .
"I admire your willingness to respond, but taking a knee with the people who wantonly destroyed the Country Club Plaza disqualifies you from commenting meaningfully on any other protest."
There was some back and forth among fans of Mr. Cashill with the mayor contesting the assertion . . .
"I took a knee with the police chief when we were meeting with folks to de-escalate the situation. I also went out so folks with problems could actually speak to a policy maker. Unlike other cities where mayors lost total control and connection with the crowd, our interventions kept the Plaza from being destroyed and later kept protestors from attempting to breach police headquarters, as I encouraged them to walk the other way. I’m proud of those interventions. Unlike Washington, our nation’s capital, we didn’t lose police headquarters, City Hall, or any seat of government power, and we certainly didn’t create the forum for dissent unlike those in Washington this week. Carry on from there."
There was continued assertions that the mayor chanting "no justice, no peace" with protesters on the Plaza was a provocation for violence.
Of course nothing was resolved but it was probably one of the most telling exchanges we've seen so far regarding the similarities betwixt this week's MAGA riots vs. KC "mostly peaceful" riots on the Country Club Plaza last year.
You decide . . .