KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Derron Black, 31, the man who rushed the stage and yelled obscenities during Kansas City Mayor Sly James’ State of the City address, was released from jail Wednesday at about noontime and charged with Assault 3rd Degree on a law enforcement officer, a Class A misdemeanor.
He also faces charges of Obstructing Government Operations, a Class B misdemeanor. In the probable cause statement, prosecutors say Black scratched and bruised a law enforcement officer during the struggle to get him off stage.
Kansas City Missouri Police Chief Darryl Forte says Black wasn’t the only distraction at the State of the City address.
“We had information that there were other people inside the building that may pose a problem to us,” said Forte.
Forte says police acted appropriately under the conditions, but says some things will likely change.
“We knew yesterday. I talked to the officers that were involved. Some of things we need to look at differently but everybody has to understand there were some other things going on simultaneously when this occurred,” said Forte.
Forte says no other arrests were made.
Derron Black has since apologized for his outburst that left many in Kansas City stunned. In an audio recording posted to YouTube on March 19, Black apologized for his actions and said he “challenges” the mayor.
Mayor James told FOX 4 that he would have been happy to sit down and talk with Black, but says interrupting a speech was the wrong way to work out a problem.
“You know you just don’t make your point well when you try to make it that way and the whole issue– nobody is talking about what he wanted to say. They’re talking about the way he wanted to say it, that’s not good,” said Mayor James.
Black’s campaign manager, Jeff Francis, told FOX 4 News on Wednesday morning that Black would announce his candidacy for mayor.
That announcement was originally scheduled for 2 p.m., or once he was out of jail, but that was postponed to Thursday.
“He’s a champion for the underdog, for the poor, for the women, for the disenfranchised,” said Francis.
Francis said Black’s outburst on Tuesday was spontaneous. He says Black never planned to rush the stage.
“That was out of character for how we proceed,” Francis said. “But he (Black) felt like that was the only opportunity to address the issue because meetings have been planned, have been made and nobody showed up at our meetings. They leave us standing and they don’t realize what we go through to get to these meetings.”
Below is the verbatim from Black’s apology on YouTube.
This is Derron Black. I’m here on 11th and Locust, downtown Kansas City at police headquarters. It is the 19th day of March, 6 p.m., and I’m just reflecting on all today’s events and I would just to apologize to all my fellow Kansas Citians for being disrespectful and disruptive today.
But also would like to challenge Sly James because he just seems to be definitely disillusioned with the condition of our city right now. If you have listened to the State of the City, and if you have any consciousness about the true reality of the condition of the people east of Troost or just throughout Kansas City in general, you would absolutely be frustrated just like I am. But it’s okay. Everything — everything is from the Lord above, and I would like to tell everybody that will see you tomorrow 1300 hours when I’m finally released, Lord willing. Thank you.”
The man who posted Black’s apology on YouTube, MD Rabbi Alam, an Internet-radio talk show host for “Alpha Media KC,” also posted an interview with Jeff Qintar who witnessed Black’s outburst on Tuesday. Listen to that interview here.
