2022: The Year Kansas City Stopped Caring About Homicide Numbers

2022 marked the second deadliest year in Kansas City, Missouri history for the second year in a row.

Sadly, deadly shootings and the sound of gunfire in urban neighborhoods has become so commonplace that locals have adapted to this new, lower standard of living in the aftermath of the pandemic and BLM uprising/riots of 2020. 

As always, we hope to put Kansas City news in the proper context and provide a big picture perspective that other outlets are seemingly too afraid or unwilling to consider . . . 

And so, it's appropriate to talk about accountability ahead of what could be another deadly year.

Here's what needs to be made clear . . . 

MAYOR Q FAILED HIS PLEDGE TO CURB KANSAS CITY'S HOMICIDE COUNT AND HAS PROVEN SUCCESSFUL IN EVADING RESPONSIBILITY AS HE SKILLFULLY SHIFTS BLAME FOR THE SLAUGHTER TOWARD POLICE & MISSOURI REPUBLICANS!!!

Only our blog community remembers that Mayor Q promised to work on getting the annual homicide count below 100 as he entered office, now we're at the conclusion of his term which his been the bloodiest in Kansas City history.

Here at TKC we have NO IDEA how so-called "leaders" can pin urban core murders on Jeff City hayseeds or the po-po but we'll do our best to unpack the argument.

First off . . . A great deal of blame targeting police focuses on "local control" but we can easily dismiss that argument by merely noting a fact: STL's murder count has SKYROCKETED since they garnered "local control" of police.

An even more politically charged facet of the homicide count debate . . . 

An obscure concealed carry gun law and ensuing 2nd Amendment protections have been championed by Missouri Republicans in opposition to the anti-gun progressive agenda. 

Democratic Party operatives and consultants have seized upon the local implications of the gun debate and used it to blame the faraway Jeff City GOP super-majority for the horrific rate of slaughter in STL & Kansas City.

There's only one problem with this talking point . . . The data doesn't back it up. 

Loose gun laws have been a fact of life in Missouri for nearly two decades. 

Remember that former Mayor Sly & Jackson County Prosecutor "Mean Jean" were endorsed by no less than the New York Times in their condemnation of Republican 2nd Amendment "enthusiasm' back in 2015. 

However . . . We want to cite a different and more statistically sound turning point for Kansas City violence.

Close readers already know where we're going with this but it's worth repeating . . .

When Mayor Q marched and shouted with violent rioters on the Country Club Plaza in 2020. He tacitly endorsed violence on local streets and Kansas City has endured a deadly crime wave ever since that moment. 

In no uncertain terms, chanting "No Justice, No Peace" in the middle of a riot betrayed the Mayor's oath of office and sparked a historic wave of deadly local violence and lawlessness on local streets. 

Like it or not . . .

Words matter.

The words of an elected official in this American Republic are more important than most. 

And so . . . 

We mention these historic homicide stats and what might be the inciting incident that tipped off record-breaking local violence because too often data and politics conspire to hide very simple truths like this one:

Mayor Quinton Lucas publicly endorsing violence sparked worsening Kansas City violence.

From our street level view it really is that simple and so much "social justice" blathering about root causes, poverty, culture, handgun access, sneakers, video games and free lunches merely serves as fodder for pointless online debate rather than a critical discussion of public policy.  

Nevertheless . . .

In the coming year the Mayor will likely earn reelection without any serious challenger. 

There's nothing to indicate that KC's worsening homicide trend won't also continue unabated. 

And so, from our humble and lowly place as voter and resident of Kansas City we're forced to conclude that historic homicide numbers and the collapse of public safety are no longer a priority for our elected leaders, business stakeholders and civic elite. 

The rising homicide "issue" has been all but ignored at year's end.

And, again, the devastating & historic rate of killing will likely persist. 

Developing . . .