KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A crowd of about 100 people protested outside of the Kansas City Police Department’s east patrol station Tuesday following another police shooting of a Black man.
“The fight continues and it doesn’t end, and I’m just here because it’s my responsibility and it’s the right thing to do,” said Melanie, who wanted her last name withheld.
Tuesday’s protest was organized by several different local groups, including Black Rainbow and White Rose.
“We are here for a very specific purpose,” said Jae Moyer with White Rose. “We want our voices to be heard, and we want to make sure people know that we think black lives matter.”
The metro activists felt compelled to get back on the streets following Sunday’s shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake at the hands of police in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Blake’s family said Tuesday that he’s now paralyzed from the waist down after an officer shot him, apparently in the back, as he leaned into his SUV while his three children sat in the vehicle.
Police have said little about what happened, other than that they were responding to a domestic dispute.
The man who recorded the video of the shooting said he saw Blake scuffling with three officers and heard them yell, “Drop the knife! Drop the knife!” before the gunfire erupted. But he said he didn’t see a knife in Blake’s hands.
Seven shots can be heard, though it isn’t clear how many struck Blake or how many officers fired.
“It’s incredible to me that after having these conversations about racial tension and police brutality that blatant racism and murder of black individuals is still happening in broad daylight,” Melanie said.
Tuesday’s protest in Kansas City remained largely peaceful and police reported no arrests.
