KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On Thursday, the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners met for the final time this year.
It was the first time the public got a chance to talk to Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department Chief Rick Smith since audio surfaced of him allegedly calling Cameron Lamb a "bad guy."
Those who spoke at the meeting, gave Smith a verbal lashing.
"Shame on everybody who is not calling on you to be fired [and] who has not called on Rick Smith to be fired. Shame on you!" Khadijah Hardaway, lead organizer of Justice for Wyandotte said.
Community activists called out Smith for remarks he allegedly said shortly after former KCPD Eric Devalkenaere shot and killed Lamb in his own backyard two years ago.
Last month, Devalkenaere was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the death, with the judge ruling that Lamb's fourth amendment rights had also been violated.
"He has allowed his officers to terrorize my community," Steve Young, a community activist said. "This is terrible leadership. And it has enabled his cops to go unchecked for years. 'When there is no integrity at the top, why would there be any throughout the ranks?'"
During Tuesday's meeting, Lamb's stepfather Aquil Bey, took the podium.
"Cameron had three children he was trying to provide for and because the chief of police allowed this type of behavior, Devalkenaere snatched the life out of Cameron," Bey said at the meeting. "Chief Smith you need to resign."
Bey told reporters afterward that Smith barely looked at him as he spoke.
"He didn't want to face the facts," he said. "I guess he couldn't accept the fact that he was wrong."
When it was his turn to talk, Smith only addressed the city's violent crime but ignored his critics who also targeted their rage at the president of the police union.
"You got to understand that you know people have a voice and you can’t get too upset about what people think," Brad Lemon, president of FOP Lodge 99 said.
As of now, Smith intends to stick around until he retires in the Spring of 2022.
