Mayor Sly James is encouraged by the recent protests in Kansas City.
"I enjoy the fact that people are excited and engaged in a way that they haven't been engaged since the 60s when I grew up. I think that's very healthy for a democracy but I think that we also need to learn from those days in the 60s that even innocent protests can often devolve into things they're not meant to be because of outside agitation," he said.
MORE: Hundreds turn out to protest Trump's immigration ban at KCI
In a blog post Wednesday, James wrote, "Whether it's a travel ban that targets a religious group under the guise of national security, proposing walls to keep people out, or casually making false claims of widespread voter fraud - these actions question the very foundation of our character as a people and a democracy. So when our community in Kansas City stands up for what it believes is right, or stands up against policies that do not reflect our character, I support it wholeheartedly."
One of those people is Emily Riegel.
"It's no longer acceptable to sit back and make comments on Facebook and Twitter and just talk amongst your friends and be angry in private," Riegel shared.
She believes in the power of activism because, "It gets other people moving and brings them into action."
As someone who has participated in several of the recent protests, Riegel noted, "Being peaceful and orderly doesn't necessarily mean sitting quietly on a sidewalk. It might mean people have signs and it might mean there's a bullhorn and it might mean there's chanting."
James is happy with the engagement, he just has one message. He said, "My charge to the city is to stand up, say what you believe, protect those things that you hold dear, show that you care about things that are going on in your community and in this country, but do it the right way. Do it the Kansas City way."
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