KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One day after the nation watched a jury convict an officer in the murder of George Floyd, Kansas City, Missouri, leaders said they're listening and working on change.
A meeting between city and police leadership and community activists was scheduled more than one week ago – ahead of the verdict in the Derek Chauvin case, which activists said is a sign of progress nationally. And they want to keep the momentum going locally.
"The best we could do is continue to build trust within our community that if we're going to protest that we're not met with the back end of a police stick," Justice Horn, a community activist, said.
Horn was among the handful of activists who met with city leaders and KCPD Chief Rick Smith Wednesday in a closed-door meeting to review policies put in place as a result of protests last summer.
"If we're going to protest without violence [we'd like to know] that they're not going to direct us and try to force us where we can and cannot protest in the city," Horn said.
Smith recently blogged about the department's First Amendment policy that directs officers to minimize displays of force.
"I think every officer on our job has taken an oath to protect those rights," Smith told reporters Wednesday, "and the idea of the thought of, 'We want to help facilitate that no matter what the message is, or why the event is organized.'"
The policy also bans officers from "using less-lethal weapons and munitions – other than chemical agents" like tear gas to break up crowds.
"They've committed not to doing it anymore, but they never should have been doing that sort of thing in the first place," Henry Service, another activist in attendance, said.
Still, Service said he remains skeptical of the changes.
"I don't think the proof is that they're here talking to us," Service said. "I think when you come out to the protests that are going to happen this summer, and you don't see the police beating us up for doing anything, that's when you'll say that there was will change."
But KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas said he views the situation differently.
"People had asked for better policies as it relates to First Amendment and protests – we've seen that. People asked for more levels of accountability, more openness, more public meetings, more reporting to the city council – we've seen that," Lucas said. "Have we done everything we need to do? No, not yet. But I'm proud of the steps that we've taken."
The mayor and police chief said they're committed to keeping the conversation going and are willing to meet monthly with activists.
