An Open Letter to the Kansas City Law Enforcement Agencies

Upon learning of the depraved shooting of Ralph Yarl, by Andrew D. Lester, the Jackson County Bar Association is in a word: infuriated. Infuriated, that Black Americans continue to be harmed by the hands of those who do not value Black lives and the systems that protect reckless violence against Black people. The JCBA was founded to work to ensure justice and equal opportunity for the African-American community; improve the administration of justice; preserve the independence of the judiciary, improve the economic conditions of all citizens of Missouri; uphold the honor of the legal profession; and protect the civil and political rights of the citizens and residents of the State of Missouri. Nationally, we continue to witness countless Black Americans violently brutalized and killed without any justification, lest we forget the death of Trayvon Martin who was walking down the street while Black and Ahmaud Arbery, who was simply jogging while Black. Locally, we have witnessed the continued failure of Law enforcement to fully investigate and prosecute crimes, lest we forget Ryan Stokes, Terrence Bridges, Donnie Sanders and Cameron Lamb. The JCBA cannot, without moral conflict, continue to encourage Black communities to maintain faith and trust that local law enforcement will perform the very function that taxpayer dollars employ them to do! What choice does Kansas City leave its citizens other than to peaceably protest to no end? How can Kansas City continue to use Black faces to showcase diversity, equity, and inclusion, all while ratifying continued obliteration of Black bodies.  Read more …