Gun Violence

Members of KC Mothers in Charge holding hands in solidarity in Kansas City, Missouri.

Season of Giving 2021: KC Mothers in Charge

KC Mothers in Charge aims to reduce gun violence within the community.

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inside of police car on patrol

Control Issues

Kansas City is once again grappling with whether it should reclaim local control of the police department.

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Jim LaManno is a surviving spouse from a neo-Nazi shooting in Johnson County that killed his wife Terri.

The Innocent Victims of Hatred’s Blindness

A surviving spouse looks back at a neo-Nazi shooting in Johnson County that killed his wife in 2014.

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inside of police car on patrol

Gun Violence Persists as New KCMO Mayor Takes Office

Gun Violence Persists as New KCMO Mayor Takes Office

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Kansas City police investigate a homicide in late 2015

Kansas City No Violence Alliance Reboots

As mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, Sly James has grown accustomed to phone calls from the police chief about yet another homicide. Sometimes James goes to the scene, and the details of one, from a Sunday morning, are seared into his memory. A wailing mother, still in her nightgown, was kneeling in the middle of…

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police in active shooter drill in a school

School Shootings Pit Safety Vs. Pedagogy

In the aftermath of World War II, amidst Cold War tensions with the Soviets, U.S. students practiced “duck and cover” drills to prepare for nuclear attack. Fast forward more than half a century, and one of the most common safety precautions in schools today has nothing to do with a far-off threat; “active shooter” drills…

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The 16th Circuit Court is located in downtown Kansas City.

My Week With the 16th Circuit Court

I remember a joke told by famous black comedian Richard Pryor. It went something like this: “If you are going downtown [to court], looking for justice, that’s what you will find, just us. The emphasis was on how unfair the justice system is for blacks. Indeed, growing up as young black male, without knowing my…

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People out at night in Westport

Privatizing Westport Sidewalks Is About Protecting Lives

As a frequent patron of Westport, I understand when business owners want to take action to make it a safer place. Westport is a center of what is Kansas City’s vibrant nightlife. Its reputation has taken a hit this year due to violent people committing criminal acts using firearms. Primarily, these acts have taken place…

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planned parenthood administrative offices

Take 5 For Your Health

Planned Parenthood Adds Locations In Arkansas And Oklahoma Planned Parenthood Great Plains says it has joined forces with three Planned Parenthood facilities in Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma, giving it a total of 12 health centers in four states. Formerly known as Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, the organization earlier this year expanded into central…

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graphic rendering of parts of faces

In the Crossfire

Just this week, the New York Times detailed a study finding that police are more likely to rough up blacks than whites, meaning tactics like cuffs, pepper spray, and forcing the suspect against a wall.  However, it also found no racial bias in lethal force, the deadly shootings we’ve come to rally around. The graphic below doesn’t…

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