Greetings to my change agent readers! I hope you're having the best week and may love, peace, joy, kindness, and harmony find your physical home and heart this week. My love is extended to all who could use a little extra, and may my light exude positivity and kindness.
First, if you're a first-time reader tuning in and are here because the title grabbed your attention, welcome! This is not the topic that I intended to write about this week, but because I live in Kansas City, MO, home of the Back-to-Back Superbowl Winning Chiefs, I don't think I could be complicit in ignoring or not addressing what happened at our citywide celebratory SuperBowl Parade. In case you've been living under a rock, on Valentine's Day 2024, Kansas City hosted a parade and rally on a beautiful day to celebrate and show love to the Chiefs Organization for winning the SuperBowl. For most in attendance, they attended the parade, had a fantastic time with their families, and made it home safely. But for those diehard fans that attended the rally and stayed until the end, their fun experience turned into horror, as shooters opened fire in a crowd of people, hurting 22 people (half under the age of 16 and as young as 8), and killing one beautiful soul.
You know I love me a good definition and even though I'm Team #factsoverfeelings, you will certainly get some of these feelings TUH-DAY.
Here are some facts about gun violence here in Kansas City, MO:
AP News says that Missouri has some of the broadest gun rights in the country. This is because of a number of laws passed by the Republican-led Legislature over the last few decades.
Before the GOP took over the Legislature in 2002, it was illegal to carry a gun on your person, and you could only buy a handgun after getting a pass and background check from your local sheriff. Within their first ten years in office, Republicans got rid of those limits, which led to more people buying guns.
At the moment, Missouri does not have any age limits on owning or using guns. However, federal law mostly does not allow children to carry handguns.
In 2014, voters strengthened gun rights by passing a constitutional amendment that made the right to bear arms "unalienable" and said that any limits would be looked at "strictly."
After two years, the Republican supermajority in Missouri's Legislature overrode a veto from Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon to make it legal for most people to carry guns without a permit. The law also made a "stand-your-ground" right, which lets more people legally use guns for self-defense.
In 2021, Missouri passed a law that made gun rights even stronger by stopping local cops from enforcing federal gun laws. In 2023, a federal judge threw out the bill. It is still on hold while an appeal is being heard.
Republican leaders in the legislature have shown little interest in any rules that would make it harder to own or use guns in Missouri. You would think that an event of this magnitude and on an international platform might make lawmakers want to talk about the problem more, but after visiting the stage legislator's website, I don't think it will. I went to the website to see that other bills were being introduced this session and/or being discussed among lawmakers that do not help people directly or are against people who live in Missouri. There’s a long list of them, but to name a few, here they are:
HB 2141 | Prohibits the use of Chinese-owned social media applications on state owned devices |
HB 2171 | Designates Waverly, MO as the apple capital of Missouri |
HB 2172 | Designates Concordia, MO as the patriotic mural city of Missouri |
HB 2189 | Designates provel cheese as the official cheese of Missouri |
HB 2222 | Designates November 26th each year as "Tina Turner Day" |
HB 1502 | Requires school districts to provide instruction in cursive writing |
HB 1562 | Designates the last Saturday of April each year as "Emmett Kelly Day" in Missouri |
HB 2320 | Designates Branson as the "Live Entertainment Capital of Missouri" |
HB 2321 | Designates October 10 of each year as "Blue Light Awareness Day" |
HB 1624 | Designates cashew chicken as the official dish of the state of Missouri |
SB 776 | Currently, the prohibition on the prescription or administration of cross-sex hormones or puberty-blocking drugs for the purpose of a gender transition for persons under 18 years of age expires on August 28, 2027. This act removes that expiration date. |
SB 627 | Recognizes the birth of Murphy Douglas Beck (lawmaker from STL’s grandson) |
SB 1281 | Creates provisions relating to invasive plants |
SCR 21 | Establishes every fourth Wednesday of February as "Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Awareness Day" in Missouri |
SB 1144 | Designates the last Saturday of April of each year as "Emmett Kelly Day" in Missouri |
You can read the rest of them online here and here. Fast Democracy is also a great website!
But let me tell you one that HAS BEEN introduced and HAS BEEN discussed: The Anti-Red Flag Gun Seizure Act, which seeks to prevent federal law from allowing courts to confiscate firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition from law-abiding citizens. Those confiscations would be considered an infringement of Second Amendment rights and block local law enforcement agencies and other public entities from receiving federal funding to help enforce those confiscations. Find out more here.
Locally, Kansas City has struggled with gun violence, and in 2020 it was among nine cities chosen by the U.S. Justice Department in an effort to crack down on violent crime.
The number of killings in Kansas City rose to a record level last year, up to 182. Kansas City police data show there were 12 more killings in 2023 than in 2022 and three more than the previous all-time high of 179 in 2020. The police department data does not include officer-involved killings. This particular point is important to note because I've heard and seen people say regarding the shooting "This is not Kansas City." Ummmm yes, it is! It's just that y'all live in the suburbs. Kansas City North, North Kansas City, Overland Park, Lee's Summit, and other surrounding suburbs don't count as Kansas City. And if you're feeling salty, see the GIF below.
Since Kansas City is the only Missouri city without municipal control over its police department, elected leaders' options are limited. According to the mayor's office, it's considered the biggest city in the United States under that circumstance.
Hiring the police chief and the department's use of tax resources are not decisions made by the leaders of the predominately Democratic city. A statute from the 1930s grants this authority to a five-member board that is mostly chosen by the governor of Missouri, a Republican since 2017.
Kansas City forbids gunshots inside its borders, but Missouri law forbids municipalities from passing stricter gun laws than the state.
The mayors of Kansas City and St. Louis have battled with Republican lawmakers in recent years for control of their cities' public safety programs, arguing that high crime rates indicate the failure of local authorities. Additionally, Republican lawmakers have consistently rejected attempts to permit cities to enact gun laws that are more stringent than those of the state as a whole.
To recount my personal experience, let me say this: I did not attend the parade or rally and have never attended large events like this in Kansas City. I don't like being cold, so I was stuck to this couch in front of the TV (as I have been every year), only catching pieces of the parade, and watching the whole rally. Because of this, I had front-row seats to watch the horror unfold. The newscasters were recapping the end of the rally, and the horror was unfolding behind them. Watching them move from joy to understanding the magnitude of what was happening behind them was traumatizing. They didn't take cover until they were told to do so, and then reporting continued in the news station. It was live TV, so no one could sugarcoat or gaslight what was going on, but they were very careful not to give any more information than they could confirm, so they just reported what the videographers were picking up. And that was even traumatizing to watch! I stayed stuck to the TV for a couple of hours, but I had to get my son out of the house as he was bouncing off the walls and the temperature was pushing 70 degrees. But while I was watching, I learned preliminary information about what transpired. And it was horrific to even know about it.
One thing I noticed for everyone there and at home was that most people had normalcy bias...that was incredibly alarming. According to thebehavioralscientist.com, normalcy bias is a psychological phenomenon in which people tend to underestimate the likelihood or impact of a disaster or other crisis. This bias can lead people to make inadequate or inappropriate preparations for a crisis or to underestimate the severity of the situation. I learned about it in the Active Shooting Training I was required to participate in when I taught full-time. I was retraumatized every year I had to do it. Anyway, I witnessed this from the crowd. You saw people running, and others were walking with no urgency. You saw people running with fear in their faces as other people walked past others who were hurt and being treated. People were cleaning up their things and slowly walking to their destination while others were trying to find hiding places. It was wild to see normalcy bias in a real-life situation like that.
Another thing I noticed is that after the fact, people were talking about the children and how they shouldn't see what’s going on or have to experience it. First, NO ONE should have to experience it. Second, while I don’t want these situations even to exist for them to have to experience it, the facts are that kids ARE experiencing many things, and just because you think they don't need to know about it doesn't mean they're not informed or experiencing it. We should be able to have intelligible conversations with children about ALL the things they're experiencing, and if you don't feel like you have the skill, build a community around you to have others help. Here's my why: the day after the shooting, I showed up at a local high school to serve as a judge for a choir assessment from middle schoolers across the district. When I was leaving my car, I noticed the school resource officer jumped in his car and took off down the street. I was concerned for wherever he was rushing to, but I wasn't concerned as I walked to the high school's front doors. I waited a minute because no one answered when I pressed the button to gain entry. After a few minutes, when I went in, I learned that the elementary school down the street was on lockdown, which prompted a lockdown for the high school. So, the day after the babies learned about the mass shooting that happened just 15 minutes away from their house, they were also involved in a false yet traumatizing lockdown situation. The energy in the air during and after lockdowns can be paralyzing, but also, when you're forced to continue like nothing happened, you feel like a stoic.
I worked at the elementary school I’m talking about and was involved in a real active shooter situation there. Lucky for us, the shooter was in the neighborhood on foot and not in the school, but I can never forget kids running and screaming to get inside from the playground. I can never forget the helicopters and police sirens we heard while locked down. I can never forget the kindergarten class I had at the time when all of them were crying for their moms and NOT being quiet. At the time, we didn’t know that the threat wasn’t inside the building…all we knew was that it was a lockdown. So, at that moment, all I was thinking about was if there was a shooter in the building, they’d know where we were because those babies were boo-hoo crying. We were locked down for 30 minutes! That duration of time was a long time to have hysterical babies, trying to keep them calm while also trying to remain calm not knowing what you don’t know at the time. I had some of those students from Kindergarten to 5th grade, and we still talked about that lockdown. I'm sure it's forever etched on their mind like it is etched on mine. That’s how traumatizing these situations can be. So we can’t ignore it or bypass it. They deserve to be informed in a way that they understand. But also, does this have to be the way we all exist here in America?
That brings me to my focus statement today: we CAN do something about this! But if you’re like me and EVERY OTHER CITIZEN, you may feel like there’s nothing you can do. I want to bring this picture to your attention, as it accurately depicts the cycle we’re societally stuck on. (I just grabbed this from the internet… I did not create it.)
For me, I normally get stuck in between the social media debates and not doing anything. And I don’t think that it’s apathy on my part; I think that we collectively get so mentally, spiritually, and physically weighed down by the heaviness of these events that we don’t know WHAT to do next. I saw someone say on X (formerly known as Twitter) that if the actual lawmakers can’t make the change, then how can we? If the people with indispensable funds can’t make a change, then how can we? If the invisible powers that be (because we all know the real deal) WON’T make a change, how can we? And I'm saying: isn't the mere definition of insanity doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result?
Here’s my rebuttal: we can. But first, we have to decide to come together. We have to decide to build a community. We have to decide that many small acts add up to big ones. WE THE PEOPLE have to decide that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH collectively! But truly decide...not in words, but in action. Having a growth mindset is powerful. If we already believe it can't happen, it won't. If we collectively believe something can happen, it will. I'm not talking about thoughts and prayers. Rallies are well-intended but haven't been effective on a grander scale. Why? We know money is a factor in many decisions, so to make a sweeping change, money would have to be a factor. We can greatly affect our local communities and add up to a larger impact if we put a little sugar in the gas tank of the capitalistic engine. Money talks, doesn't it? I'm sure there are other ways, but I think that's the most EFFECTIVE way.
Before the 2nd Amendment Rights people take over this post, please understand: I’m all about people having their rights…although it doesn’t seem to be the case with people who are pro-2nd Amendment, especially when it comes to women's parts and women's decisions. And I understand the “it’s not the guns, it’s the people” argument because ABSOLUTELY it’s the people, not the guns. But our societal mental health continues to decline. So, I legit want to know what thoughts people who are pro-2nd Amendment have about ensuring the safety of people living their best lives against people who use guns improperly. Like I REALLY want to know! Ready to take notes and everything!
This brings me to my Audience Engagement Question of the Week: What suggestions do you have for making EFFECTIVE and SENSIBLE Gun Law changes so that we're ALL safe in public spaces? There’s no way this should be the land of the free and the home of the scared, the home of the scarred for life, or the home of the anxious in public spaces. Feel free to chime in by DMing me or leaving a comment on this blog. I’ll respond!
And to wrap up, I leave you with a quote and affirmations:
Well, that's all for me this week! Tune in to my livestream and blog because next week for a tribute show to Black women I'm entitled, "Dear Black Woman". I'll be broadcasting my last-morning show from Denver, Colorado! Don't forget: next Monday, March 4, my show will start airing during the evenings at 8:28 pm CST.
Alexa, play "Man in the Mirror" by the late and great King of Pop Michael Jackson. You are the change you've been waiting for.
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