Civic Engagement

Amid mass protests against police violence in Kansas City and throughout the nation, one three-word phrase keeps coming up: “Defund the police.” But what does it actually mean? The Beacon spoke to local activists to explain the thinking behind the phrase that has caught national attention. Calls to defund the police are rooted in critiques that police departments receive exorbitant funding that should instead be reinvested into programs that directly aid the community. It is that dichotomy — of a police department with too much money and social programs with too little — that local activists say they want to change.

A Beacon analysis found that over 50 small towns across both states have witnessed a protest in the weeks following George Floyd’s killing.

At a time of mass protests against police violence — where calls to increase officer accountability and even defund police departments are being amplified across the country — Kansas City, Mo., stands out as the only major U.S. city without local control of its police department. For 80 years, a board appointed by the Missouri governor has controlled the police department.

How the Kansas’ new court records system could reform what some see as a cumbersome and opaque process.

Thirteen black men killed at the hands of Kansas City police. The only major police department without local control. As demonstrations against police killings of black Americans continue across the country, we dive deeper.