So how bad was Saturday night’s wilding on the PLaza by urban youth?
“The commander told me, this is the worst she’s ever seen,” says KCPD spokesman Darin Snapp. “In any gathering of teens – in Westport or the Plaza..”
Law abiding citizens were pushed, shoved, robbed, you name it, Snapp says.
“We had a high school girl wearing her prom dress who was assaulted and thrown into the fountain outside of the Cheesecake factory for no reason,” Snapp says.
A 16 year-old dude got smacked across the face with a crowbar near Winstead’s and his jaw was broken.
Kids started out near Cinemark and the Classic Cup and branched out from there.
“They just kept moving and tearing up whatever they came up upon…a lot of the Plaza’s greenery was damaged.”
No word yet from the Plaza on whether any of its vaunted fountains and/or statuary was damaged or destroyed, Snapp says.
smartman
As Gil Scott Herron said, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Might I suggest the Taurus Judge with the .410 load. Judge-Jury-Executioner. Add the laser sights for effect. Then sign up for a conceal carry class. Learn proper firearms safety and technique. Be prepared to defend yourself. In most cases the Police cannot get to you in time when you are being threatened and your life or the lives of your family are at risk. Before we can take our country back we have to take our city back.
Mark
Hard to understand how the addition of more firepower to the mix would have improved the situation. Was that couple mugged in the parking garage supposed to gun down their 15 assailants? What possible outcome to that scenario would reassure people about going back to the Plaza?
Uncle Dick
Taught them Indians not to fuck with Gene Autry.
C
Wow you’re riding this story more than the rapist… 4 1/2 stories on this already. You and Tony having a contest on who can get more new posts on it??? Or just looking for the google hits?
Rainbow Man
Mark-
If you decide to rob someone with forcible violent action you should be putting your life at risk. Yes all fifteen reasonably could have been shot within the law. Violent robbery is a very serious crime. If the victim is armed they have the right to shoot.
Rainbow Man
I am not in love with my city any more. She is losing me. This is a very serious story. Never thought I could say it. It could have a deep and lasting affect on The Plaza. Let’s see how the Art Fair numbers are after this. Kansas City has BIG problems. Schools, bad leadership, segregation, etc. Just think what the Royals in the playoffs could do……….. Man do we deserve a break.
hearne
Hey C, what part about reporting do you not understand. There are many unreported facts and facets to this story that deserve to come out. I’m not just posting random “I saw this” stories. These are on the record accounts by police that for some reason are not getting through yet in the mainstream media.
c#cksnipe
OMG, you called a police spokesperson. Way to get down in the trenches.
Rainbow Man
Hearne is right. This is a big story and it totally fits into Hearne’s general beat… which I interpret to be Kansas City culture, personalities, venues, and events. This was a pretty much a riot. Even though it happened at 10:30 pm, In the old days, The Star would have at least dropped in a late story block with one photo the next day. It sounds to me like it is amazing no one died. It also sounds to me like the KCPD did a freaking awesome job. I am glad Hearne is covering it… I will also admit that this is the first place I heard about it.
MandDShagger
Beat this story to death! This is the only outlet that seems to be covering it in a responsible manner. As for arming yourself. When you can’t walk the streets of the Plaza and feel safe you should consider that. What’s the option? Stay home and never go out anymore? Move to Johnson County? I’m with you Rainbow Man. I don’t recognize this city anymore.
Robertoe
This story is VERY REVEALING in terms of KC Star coverage, or actually the lack of it. Sunday Morning the Star had a couple of paragraphs. Monday they had nothing! We’ve all long heard of a KC Star unofficial policy to overlook any negative Plaza press. There’s too much good KCStar ad revenue at risk! After Monday’s lack of reporting on the biggest Plaza story since the 77 flood, it speaks volumes. How can the Star call themselves a reliable KC news source?
I listened to Shannon & Parks on 980 Mon aft and they were aghast at the obvious KC Star coverup. In terms of implications they thought the flash mobbing was the biggest KC story in a long while.
So all I can say is GO Hearne GO! This is a great opportunity to establish KC Confidential as the real deal news source of record. Keep covering it! We can’t rely on the KC Star for unbiased reporting.
The KC Star recognizes they’re looking bad on this and do have some coverage today, after NOTHING on Monday. But we all now know the Star will spin accordingly.
My prediction: They’ll flashmob other locations. Big story all summer. The Plaza is too predictable.
Johnny Utah
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/04/12/1873511_p3/kc-police-brace-for-return-of.html
kc star story today. they left out one critical angle to the story. anyone care to guess what they left out?
good job by hearne on this story. If KC loses the plaza, they lose the city.
Larry, Darryl and Darryl
Listen up white folks, y’all better keep away from that there Plaza place this’n weekend if you got any sense. There’s gonna be some’o what we call country justice passed down on them coloreds for what they done did to them nice white folks that was just out walkin’ round mindin’ their own business. Us n’ a few of the boys are fixin’ to gas up the truck and head into town on Saturday to see what fer and we ain’t comin’ to enjoy no perty fountains. There’s gonna be a message sent and a message received and y’all better believe it.
Mark
I’m not saying that an innocent couple has no right to shoot their way out of a robbery situation. But two against 15? Those odds are not good for the victims. How many perps can they drop before the remaining ones swarm over them? Just from a tactical perspective, I don’t see how having a gun makes the situation better rather than much, much worse.
And when it’s over, what’s the public reaction going to be? People can either think, “It’s okay to go to the Plaza as long as you’re armed and vigilant,” or “Let’s just avoid the area altogether.” Neither reaction is exactly going to be good for business.
craig glazer
Of course todays front page KC star is now covering all this…
WyCoWest
Why isn’t any media outlet (KC Confidential included) reporting that teen unemployment rate is around 50%? When half the teens that would normally be working have nothing else to do, this is bound to happen. It’s time to start taking concealed carry classes- no matter what your race or income level is. Nobody protects you better than you.
smartman
Mark: With proper tactical training and a semi-auto handgun 15 vs 1 isn’t that big of a deal. Some of the new weapons can hold 14+ rounds. With hollow points you might be able to take down 2 with each round in CQC, Close Quarters Combat. Better to go down in a blaze of glory than to just go down.
T.M.
Everyone is downplaying the racial aspects of the riot. The black thugs are looking to bully, rob, and attack the “Rich white people on the plaza.” I wonder what racial slurs and comments were made to the customers and kids at the plaza for dinner on prom night. The Tea Party followers are all called throwbacks to the racist of the civil rights era for comments they did not even make, and the actual racial attacks at the plaza are iqnored or downplayed.
Rainbow Man
Man everyone here is right. Johnny Utah is right that the Plaza is our jewel. I always recommend that out of town colleagues and clients stay there. Had one there two nights before this happened. WyCo West is right. These kids need to be working. T.M. is right too. This is totally a racial situation. We live in a SEGREGATED CITY, and the plaza is a stones throw from our white/ black border.
beebop
They arent telling the whole story. The cops took advantage of situation, maced customers at outdoor cafe randomly, maced anyone just walking down the street. But you wont see that, till the video comes out, like the “beating” in MD where the riot police went berserk, and now are under arrest for being the ‘mob’ they were supposedly confronting
Johnny Utah
Oh yeah. it was just like the maryland video. except in the plaza case, the ones beating the innocents are the angry mob, while the cops try to help people.
I’d be shocked if the city’s black leadership defend the mob. They’ll do untold damage to their causes among the guilty white liberal population.
they don’t take kindly to their women being raped in Waldo and Brookside, and their fancy plaza dinners being interrupted by being robbed and beaten and having their teenage daughters sexually assaulted before the prom.
it’s not a good time to bring up profiling.
Wade
PLEASE REMEMBER TO SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS – doing so will help keep situations like this from happening in the future.