One Struggle KC is holding two ‘Black Lives Matter’ events in Kansas City this weekend

Kansas City has kept relatively calm in the wake of national fury over the police-involved deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson and Eric Garner in New York City. Mayor Sly James has encouraged peaceful protests. KCPD chief Darryl Forte is also saying the right things. 

There is nevertheless a lot of anger out there on the topic of local police and race relations. And given the momentum across the country, now seems an ideal time to have conversations about these issues locally, and to force progress on a long-ignored problem. 

That’s more or less the objective of One Struggle KC, which was formed in October and has since organized various demonstrations, including a “die-in” at Crown Center.

“We’re a coalition of community members seeking to harness the energy of Ferguson, Missouri, to connect the struggles of many communities, locally and globally,” Diane Burkholder, an organizer of the group, tells The Pitch. “Our events have focused on the non-indictments in Ferguson and NYC and the 43 missing students of Ayotzinapa, Mexico.” 

This weekend, the group is holding two events. The first is a community arts gathering on Friday evening at the Project Space Gallery (21 East 12th Street). From the Facebook event page: 

We invite you to a free family event to create art as a collective, and process the pain we feel as a community due to state violence and abuse of power as seen in Ferguson, Mo and Ayotzinapa, Mexico [where 43 students disappeared in September]. There will be all kinds of art materials for your use, at no cost. 

Lead organizers of One Struggle KC will facilitate conversation, including ‘report-backs’ from individuals who have traveled to Ferguson to participate in community actions, as well as those who have been affected by events in Ayotzinapa. 

Local artists Les Izmore (Hearts of Darkness), Sauce Remix, and Enrique Chi (Making Movies) will also be on hand. It’s from 6 to 8 p.m., and there’s a $5 recommended donation, which will benefit the One Struggle KC Legal Fund, which pays the legal fees of Kansas Citians arrested during protests. (One Struggle KC’s representatives say six activists have been arrested in KC so far.) More on the fund can be found here. 

On Saturday, One Struggle KC will hold a rally in Parade Park (corner of Truman Road and the Paseo) starting at 3:30 p.m. There will be a handful of speakers, followed by some “direct actions.”

Organizer Brittany Coleman tells The Pitch that #kcparadeaction (as the event is being hashtagged) will “localize the issues of police brutality, inherent bias and racial profiling in Kansas City. This is our opportunity to stand firm, in solidarity with our sister city, Ferguson. We will show that Missouri is in fact a Show-Me State, and Kansas City is ready to Show up for Justice.”

More on Saturday’s event here. And if you can’t make it, you can support the effort by donating to the One Struggle KC legal fund here.