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Stand with your neighbors in Raytown
BY KHADIJAH HARDAWAY
My name is Khadijah Hardaway. I am the Lead Organizer for Justice for
Wyandotte, the movement (hosted by Broadway Church, KCMO). I am the Social
Action Chair for Grant Chapel African Methodist Church.
I am also a homeowner in the Park Dell neighborhood. My backyard faces
the main shelter house at Colman Park in Raytown. Today I stand with my Park
Dell and Village Green neighborhoods.
My husband and I recently purchased our home here in Raytown, Christmas
a year ago. One of the perks of purchasing the home was Colman Park because of
our desire to stay fit and recreational time with family and friends. After meeting our neighbors, we quickly
learned the park has an abundance of issues and at the core was violence. My
neighbors felt unsafe.
When the teenager was murdered in Colman Park, June 15, 2019, I lived
behind City Hall and remember the commotion that could be heard for blocks and
then the shots fired out. Unconsciously,
I was seeing it as an isolated incident of violence. It was not an anomaly. And
it is happening everywhere. We can be
the change we seek.
Early February 5, 2021, at two a.m., I was awakened by 4 gunshots fired
not even 20 feet from my bedroom. I could hear a young woman crying as I
searched for my phone in the dark. By
this time, I was sure my neighbors had called the police. My instincts were
right as the police arrived in approximately 2-4 minutes. Keith Newton, 20
years of age of Kansas City, Ks. and a teenage girl had been shot. Keith died of his wounds. The teenager, who
was shot three times, was taken to the hospital, and was released a few hours
later.
My neighbors have told me of their many meetings with the Park Board, Mayor/Board of Alderman over the past 20 years. Since moving here, I have been in meetings with the authorities referenced. In one of the meetings, a city worker berated me about providing a plan for all the parks in Raytown, because they just could not do something for Colman without doing it for the other parks in Raytown.
She also expressed to me during the research for cost on all the parks to have safety precautions, as if I was a city employee. When I fired back at her with the details of her job, she said she was joking. And here we are! This is NOT a joking matter!
What we asked for and will continue to demand.
- Lights for better visibility, especially by the dumpster in the park where a murder occurred.
- Add boulders to the parking lot to keep people from parking on the grass.
- Shut the electricity off at the shelter houses at curfew time.
- Additional cameras to be used to prosecute curfew violators in court.
- Visible signs stating you are on camera.
- A gate at the entrance and exit to be locked during curfew hours.
- Speed bumps to slow down the reckless drivers that plague the parking lot at Colman Park.
- A police officer and private security service to enforce curfew security.
- Hire a Park Ranger to enforce city ordinances within the park.
I experienced Colman Park only as a visitor before moving to this neighborhood. To walk the park and use it as an exercise course during visible hours. My experiences were great, until I moved! The park is at the back of my house where the cars align my fence on the parking lot. We have great visibility of the entire park from our deck. Since moving here, we have seen at least a dozen interactions leading us to collectively calling the police because we felt it was a direct threat to our lives.
We are not alone in the threat of violence. January 13, 2021 in the 8300 block of Hedges Avenue there was a shooting leaving one person dead and another in critical condition. Another shooting recently occurred at Mama China's Restaurant.
According to Jackson County Combat, the City of Raytown experiences higher than state and national rates of violent crime. With a crime rate of 54 per one 1,000 residents, Raytown has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes – from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. Your chances of becoming a victim are 1 in 145.
This is a problem we all should solve as citizens of Raytown. We all should feel safe and welcomed in our communities. When we come together, there is power in our numbers.
The demands are solutions to the violence in Colman Park; however, we know murder is not unique just to Colman Park. I have a friend, whose home aligns with Kenagy Park and rest assured, the same thing is happening there.
There are current renovations going on at City Hall. The $880,000 or renovations include Kevlar lining in the Board of Aldermen dias, strong enough to top bullets. The entrance way to City Hall is being strengthened by adding obstacles to make it impossible for a vehicle of any sort to breach entrance.
These changes are not without explanation. January 9, 2020, an insurrectionist mob that stormed the United States Capitol in Washington D.C. In Raytown our Municipal Judge has been threatened and attempts on her well being have occurred in court.
My neighbors have pointed out, no one has been murdered at City Hall. No one has been taken to a hospital to recover from gunshot wounds received at City Hall. Our City Officials saw the need to provide security and safety for themselves while we repeatedly asked for safety measures. These measures would equate to less than a third of the cost to protect our government building, which by the way is connected to the Raytown Police Department.
The citizens of Raytown should have the right to the same protection and liberties as our elected officials. It is a fundamental basic human right as taxpayers, to have some variant of safety in our community.
The Park Dell and Village Green neighborhoods ask that you stand with us as we take action to make our city a safe and welcoming place to live! Neighborhoods ask that you stand with us as we take action to make our city a safe and welcoming place to live! It has a bearing on our fundamental Human rights.
Join us for a Community Meeting
Saturday, February 13, 2021 @ 5pm via Zoom.
Meeting ID: 377 235 6263
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Use this link to COMMENT
Failure to fix problems cost lives in Raytown
 |
| BY GREG WALTERS |
was murdered at Colman
Park when two gunmen attacked a group of about 20 young adults who gathered at
the park after the 11:00 pm curfew.
On
February 5, 2021 the same horrific scene was played out again at
Colman Park.
At two
a.m. I was awakened by the sharp sound of four shots being fired as quick as a
finger can pull a trigger. I immediately called the police, as did another neighbor
of mine.
Two
people, one, a young man of only 20 years and a teenager had been shot. The young
man died of his wounds. The teenager, who was shot three times, was taken to
the hospital and is expected to recover.
Both of
the events occurred after curfew. Both were preventable.
To
reach the point of making the park safe, we have to accept the reality of the
times in which we live. We have to accept the fact that it is no longer “1970
yesterday”.
In our
nation’s capital, armed combat soldiers patrol the Halls of Congress. This past
summer, we saw organized and deadly attacks as anarchists attempted to burn
down cities across America.
City
Hall is well aware of this shift away from a safe America to one that is
dangerous.
The
McDonough Administration has pushed through a bill for $880,000 worth of renovations to Raytown City
Hall. And that is just phase one of the project!
Those renovations
include Kevlar lining to be used on the Board of Aldermen dias. Kevlar is the material used in the manufacture of bullet proof vests. It is strong enough to stop bullets. The entrance way to the building is being hardened by
adding obstacles to make it impossible for City Hall to be breached at its
front entrance.
These
changes are not without explanations. Raytown Municipal Judge Traci Fann has been threatened
and there have been attempts to harm her during Raytown Municipal Court proceedings.
At the same time it is also important to note there have not
been any murders at city hall. There has not been a need to transport a shooting victim by ambulance from City Hall.
What we do know is that in the last one and
one-half years there have been two murders at Colman Park. It could have been
three murders. A matter of inches saved the life of the teenager currently recuperating
from wounds received last Friday.
The question we need to ask is this . . . Do the
people who live around Colman Park, or, for that matter, any park in Raytown, have
the right to protection as do those who work at City Hall?
The similarity between the murders in 2019 and
2021 is uncanny. Both victims died within half a football field of each other. The collateral damage to surrounding homeowners should not be taken lightly.
A neighbor of the park, Jayne Loulos, lives in the immediate area of Friday's shooting. In 2019 her house was struck by gunfire leaving two holes in her house. The bullets pierced the walls of her home, nearly exiting out the other side of house. One of the bullets came within 8' of where she was sleeping.
Jayne said, "When I heard those four shots it was like reliving a nightmare from the last shooting". But she kept her wits about her. She immediately called the police, who were quick in their response.
The
time for half measures is over.
Colman
Park should be gated shut during curfew hours from 11:00 p.m. to sunrise.
Do it
not, and the cost in lives lost will probably go higher. Had the park been gated shut at
2:00 o’clock in the morning on a 24 degree winter night it is very possible those two young people would not
have been shot.
We
cannot undo the mistakes of inaction from the past. But we can change course
and make Raytown a safer community for all of us.
Are other area recreational parks
gated shut during curfew hours?
ANSWER: YES . . . WHEN IT IS PRACTICAL.
The following two pictures are of Adair Park in Independence and of Zimmerman Park located near Graceway Church on Blue Ridge Cutoff. 
 |
| Adair Park is located near Lee's Summit Road and 40 Highway. It is operated by Jackson County. |
Other parks in Raytown are gated as well. Some of these public facilities are operated by Raytown Parks and Recreation.
- Cave Spring Park, located at Blue Ridge Cutoff and Gregory Boulevard is open to the public during daytime hours. At night it is gated shut.
- The Rice Tremonti Home, part of the Raytown Parks and Recreation system is gated.
- Little Blue Trace Park, also run by Raytown Parks and Recreation is gated shut when not being used by sports teams.
- The old Super Splash Water Park (also part of the Raytown Park system) also has gates that are still used to block off the parking area of the water park.
Gates
are a proven and effective way to enforce curfews in public parks. The fact
that these murders happened after curfew should be a clear wake-up call to City
Hall. It is time to face facts. Times have changed. Our world is not as safe as
it once was. There are ways to bring the security we all deserve to our
neighborhoods.
It also has the advantage of freeing up police to patrol other areas of Raytown.*
It is time for Raytown to take action to correct the situation.
*At Friday night's shooting five police cars, two ambulances and a fire truck responded to Colman Park.
Shooting at Colman Park
RAYTOWN, Mo. — One person was killed and a teenager was injured in an overnight shooting early Friday morning (February 5, 2012) in Raytown. Shortly before 2 a.m. Raytown police responded to calls of four gunshots fired in rapid succession on the park property.
Officers found a male and a female inside a car with gunshot injuries.
The teenaged female was transported to an area hospital with apparent non-life-threatening injuries. The male, age unknown, was deceased.
There were no suspects at the scene. An investigation is ongoing.
Anyone
with information about the shooting is asked to call the Tips Hotline at
816-474-TIPS (8477).
Park Maintenance Parking Lot Closed
The maintenance parking lot has been locked and is not open to the public as of now. We will leave the cable and lock system up until we find a long term solution for locking/gating the area.
The announcement is seen as a response to a deadly shooting at 2:00 a.m. on February 5th. The shooting left one dead and one injured Friday morning at 2:00 a.m. in the Maintenance area parking lot.
The Park Board will meet on February 15th at 7:00PM, and the Building & Grounds committee will meet at 6:00PM before the normally scheduled Park Board meeting to discuss in detail the options for securing the parking areas, and other security measures for the park.
21 comments:
1. Permanently close the south park entrance.
2. Install a secure gate at the north entrance.
Problem solved.
Of course, this is just my humble opinion.
RN
High time for gates at the park.
So happy to see someone with a lick of common sense. Someone who, BTW, has some ability to start and continue to exert pressure on the ones who can make it happen.
Of course, Greg, I am referring to you.
My choice would be to close the south park entrance except for special occasions as well as nightly closure of the north entrance.
Please make this one of your priority missions.
Saving lives... pretty important.
Thank you.
Raytown Newbie
I wonder if the city has a liability issue for not locking the parks at curfew or otherwise not enforcing curfew? When we lived in KCMO (1994-97), Jacob L. Loose Park was locked during the curfew hours and a sign was posted that any cars there would be locked in until the gates were unlocked.
The City of Raytown has a responsibility to protect park users and nearby citizens. If locked gates are required, they should be installed and used. Video surveillance could also be used.
Andy Whiteman
We have illicit sex in the parks. We have loud and lewd music in the parks. We have homeless people sleeping in the parks. We have drugs deals in the parks. We have murders in the parks. Putting up gates and barriers won't keep people out of the parks. They will just walk right around the barriers and do what they want. The only way to stop it is to put up gates and walls and close the parks to everyone. And no, Andy, the city is liable for someone getting hurt in the parks. Just like the city isn't liable if someone gets shot on a city street.
Whoever wrote that last blog is very, very wrong. Two people drive a car into a park. They find a secluded spot to be alone. A man, armed with a handgun, sneaks up on them and shoots them. The young man he shoots dies. The young girl he shoots ends up in the hospital serious injuries.
All of this happened at 2:00 a.m. on cold winter night with the temperature in the low 20's.
The key part here is two people DROVE A CAR into the park to find a secluded spot. Had the park been gated to stop vehicles from entry. Those two young people would not have been in the park to be shot.
In the last 1 1/2 years tow murders have been committed at Colman Park. In both cases the victims and the shooters came in by automobile.
Whoever wrote the blog before this one does not offer solutions. In reading his comment you cannot help but believe he does not want a solution.
Locking down the parks during curfew makes a lot of sense. It will save lives. It will free up the police to increase their patrol of the Raytown area during those hours. This is what we call a win/win situation.
I sincerely hope the park board moves forward and agrees to making our city parks safe. Gates will save lives. They should take care of business and get it done.
There are some people who walk to the park. They are usually older, taking a pleasant walk
with their pet
I don't know, I think if they wouldn't have been breaking the law they wouldn't have gotten shot. The parks need lights and cameras. Gates might help but who is going to lock and unlock them?
Not to make it sound like the shootings are not something that needs to be addressed.
However, we have man other issues like the lack of care for our streets. I am sure my statement will have several at city hall and even some elected officials. Loose self control of their body functions and need to praise out streets as the best in the metro.
Honestly all we have to do is drive the metro and the street conditions will speak for themselves.
Some say the issue is funds, but those with an open mind will look at other things impacting our streets. This includes an over abundance of trash haulers.
This is no old subject and has been brought up before only to be shut down by a few Alderman who complain this would interfere with capitalism.
This might have some truth, but other cities have made this change and oddly their streets are in better condition.
Wait, yes it gets better.
You see someone at city hall blessed an agreement with a single solicitor for water and sewer line replacement. I am sure like me you have been hit with multiple mailings from this company.
So Alderman the stage is set now it is time for a single trash hauler. It is time for each of you to start acting like adults and doing what is best for the citizens.
While on the trash issue and impact to our streets; gate Coleman park and address the issues from those that want to trash our family friendly image.
All the parks I know outside Raytown have gates. Even the taxpayer funded Truman sports complex uses them. The only park here i know that has them is cave springs and super splash but i dont think I've ever seen eother of them closed.
9:47 AM, Locking and unlocking the gates should be a simple matter. It could be done by a Park Department employee, Police Department, or designated city employee. Better yet, why not remotely? My late wife was a security officer at a downtown KCMO office building and she was responsible for closing the garage door remotely at 7PM every evening. Police dispatch could perform these functions as well as opening the gates for emergency access.
Andy Whiteman
The Coleman park is a place to attract crime, day or night. I won't walk in that park day or night without carrying a gun. I think they should tear the park down along with the cut through street and turn it into a green space. This way it won't be an attraction. Raytown has changed and not for the better.
So, you want the police to stop chasing criminals to open and close the gates at the parks? Or perhaps pay a park employee overtime to do it? We could have automatic gates, I suppose. Are you going to pay the thousands of dollars this will require? The parks department has enough money to maintain the parks, such as cutting the grass, having nice playground equipment, etc. There's no money for automatic gates at the parks.
Who can we write to at the parks department to resolve this. When I called there was no answer. I know they promised fixed tennis courts with the new tax, but not only are they not doing that, they haven't fixed the pond wall, nor have they put in the promised lights. They closed super splash that was widely used and enjoyed. Of course they don't care about the murders in the parks, as long as they keep voting for more money for themselves they don't have to care.
"There's no money for automatic gates at the parks."
If they have money for that ridiculous monument sign in front of City Hall, they have money for GATES.
GATES.
Priorities...
Let me get this straight. There were two murders at Colman in the space of one and one-half years. Each of those murders took up more than one officers time when they occurred. Multiply it by five officers. The parks were shut down and locked up on 2019. The police also used officers to make sure no one came in and disturbed the murder scene. In 2021 the same happened again. In both cases the murders would not have happened if the the park had gates because the victims would not have been able to drive in after curfew.
This may be hard for your grasp. But it would actually put more officers on the street in the rest of Raytown if they did not have to chase down the murders in our parks. Locking the parks down with gates would solve that problem.
Incidentally, the Fire Department and the ambulance service is on record (we checked just this last week) as supporting putting gates up at Colman Park.
The odd thing is the police could still enter Colman Park if there were gates. There is a third entrance off of 59th Street that enters immediately west the Park Department Headquarters.
That's right. The police could still enter the park without going through locked gates!
The beauty of this is that anyone causing trouble in the park would literally be trapped by the gates and the police entering from the only entrance left to leave by.
Think this over a few times. I think you will change your position.
6:42 - the police do not chase down murderers in Raytown. The Jackson County Sheriff's department does that. We could have had more police on the streets, but the citizens voted down the tax that would do that. Perhaps if you had endorsed the tax, we wouldn't have two dead people in the parks.
What is sand?
It is clear the current head of public works and the former (now city administrator)
Don't know the answer.
Maybe call other cities in the metro.
Wow. You still don't get it. If there had been locked gates at the entrances to the park during curfew at 2:00 a.m. in the morning, the young man and teenager would not have been shot because they would not have been there. They would not have been able to get into the park. The shooter would not have been able to kill the young man and wound the teenager because he would not have been able to drive into the park.
All of the officers on duty that night would not have had to be called over to one location leaving the rest of the city without police protection.
Gates are a viable answer and they are used cities all around us.
Jackson County has its Park Rangers close and lock the gates in their parks.
Seems like I remember that the city has a contract with a private security company to deal with park issues.
Lets have them handle the gate(s) at Colman.
I still believe the park, and its neighbors, would be made safer if there was only a north entrance.
RN
Why is the outside activist giving out phone numbers for Houston, Tacoma, New York, etc.? Will they come in and demand we close the parks also?
Oh my gosh! Just go through watching the last BOA meeting. The mayor ought to put a big hat on and open up a three ring circus! These people are drunk with power. I know we got elections coming upin April. Special note to the Mayor. You have a responsibility to keep some sort of civility at meetings. You should probably start with looking in the mirror. Bullying other elected officials in public is not showing leadership. Cutting speakers off, interrupting and allowing others to interrupt speakers is not a good look.
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