KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Mayor Sly James’ third annual Rock the Block event kicked off on Saturday night and people in Kansas City are calling it “exactly what the community needed.”
Music, dancing, smiles and lots of hugs filled the Union Station parking lot. Something a lot of people say they haven’t been doing a lot of for the past week.
“This is beautiful,” said Randall Skillman.
Skillman took his four sons and nephew to the event and says he was pleasantly surprised at what he saw.
“It’s good to finally hear about but actually experience a change of pace. This is exactly what the community needs,” he said.
An event that Mayor Sly James says had a lot of naysayers after the violence started to spread in Ferguson.
“There were people who were calling for it to be cancelled. I told them I’m gonna bet on the kids, not against them,” Mayor James said. “We’re not going to disappoint them by giving into fear and making and validating other things happening elsewhere.”
People say they’re glad the mayor made that decision because they say this event is what they needed to regain faith.
“All walks of life, all ethnicities come together and it’s just beautiful, beautiful for everyone especially the children. This is so what the children need to see. Gets no better than this,” Skillman said.
