Kansas City council to meet today to discuss proposal on protester charges

Committee members send a proposal to drop charges to the entire city council for a vote today.

Today the full Kansas City, Missouri city council will meet to further discuss a proposal to drop municipal charges against protesters the police arrested between May 29, 2020, and June 2, 2020, according to a news report from KSHB.

The council will meet this afternoon proceeding a public hearing in front of the city’s Special Committee for Legal Review last week, KSHB said, where committee members voted to send the proposal to the entire city council for a vote.

At the end of the five days of arrests, a Kansas City Police Department spokesperson said officers arrested more than 150 people. Kansas City-based attorney Stacy Shaw was among those protesters who were arrested and is asking the city to dismiss charges. “We want to make sure that everyone is able to fully embrace everything that it means to be an American. And part of being an American is protesting,” Shaw said to KSHB.

The Fraternal Order of Police, a union representing police officers, has also stated their view in the matter, saying they do not support the proposal.

The wife of a police officer spoke to the Special Committee for Legal Review saying it should be up to a judge to decide whether to drop charges and not the city council, according to KSHB. “This sets a dangerous precedent. It takes away consequences for actions. Without consequences, we have lawlessness. When we have lawlessness, we will have chaos. We cannot function safely in a city of chaos,” she said.

The city council meets today, Thursday, at 3 p.m. on the 26th floor of City Hall at 414 East 12th Street.