Tony: This town will be disappointed by a peaceful Plaza this weekend

Since writing about anything but potential plaza riots would be pointless. I want to encourage readers to think of all of Kansas City media as nothing more than a contrary indicator.

Examples:

So many media folks loved this idea of Mark Funkhouser as Mayor that their coverage was biased and unquestioning. Only after one painful embarrassment following another was his incompetence revealed and now he’s pretty much a non-factor as far as the local news scene.

At the outset of 2008, so many newsies wanted to believe propaganda from big companies about a quick economic turnaround. Obviously, the entire nation is still in the grips of The Great Recession and the Star’s business section predicting “economic resiliency” now seems silly.

And the Downtown Renaissance? That’s been nothing more than a taxpayer nightmare that has shut down small time businesses and stirred even more local racial division.

So, as I think about so many local newsies anticipating a huge riot this weekend, I’m not gonna be surprised if they’re wrong and kind of lame for believing their own hype rather than (gasp!) maybe talking to a local African-American teen . . . Which is reporting that we STILL haven’t seen.

Tony Botello

http://www.mb-kc.com/
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6 Responses to Tony: This town will be disappointed by a peaceful Plaza this weekend

  1. Anonymous says:

    Pony
    Aren’t you supposed to be a reporter? Drive on over to Troost and start asking teenagers questions.

  2. Anonymous says:

    MandDShagger
    Four dead in OHIO
    Forty dead in KCMO

  3. Anonymous says:

    jojo
    My idea to stop violence/drugs/murder/rape etc
    in KCMO.

    1. SURGE: Call in the national guards. Call in
    federal/state and local law enforcement/and
    surge thru the 6 square mile area of kc.
    We had a surge of troops in fallujah…why not
    the same thing in kcmo. Arrest the murderers…
    take down the drug houses…arrest those with
    outstanding warrants….break up the gangs…
    arrest the head of those groups…bring in federal offials/sherrifs/position guardsmen
    on select corners…set up military style
    convoys….this is a war zone…treat it like
    one. Go door to door…go business to business..
    show these people that a real war is being
    declared against this type of crime….
    see how quickly the crime stops….I would say
    within about 48 hours…monitor the traffic…
    set up raodblocks in key intersections and
    stop the flow of drugs….we’ve had
    a shitty war on crime ….our war on drugs
    is nothing but some fancy tv commercials…
    get serious and stop this.
    I believe that those who committ those crimes…
    white..black…brown…are terrorists. Start
    enforcing RICO laws…start shutting down the
    criminals…throw them in jail …give them
    attorneys but why let them back on the streets.
    Legislators get serious about crime. Enact the
    harshest penalties for violent crimes…stop worrying about the crimjinals rights…what about
    victims rights.
    if you’re going to stop all tyhis crap you can;’t
    do it by playing games.
    Civil law abiding citizens have suffered
    ENOUGH. Then you enforce strict guidelines.thisIS A WAR WITHIN OUR CITY. IF WE DON’T FIGHT
    BACK WE CONTINUE TO LOSE INNOCENT LIVES.
    What are we waiting for. We’ll have another 100
    murders this year if we don’t do soemthing.
    Where are the law abiding/civil/hard working
    people of this town and why are they not demanding this be done NOW!

  4. Anonymous says:

    Collective Noses
    The media is biased and hyping a news story to play on the irrational emotions of the viewer? You sir have crossed the line.

  5. Anonymous says:

    jojo
    REPORT FROM THE PLAZA FRIDAY NIGHT….

    We attended tivols open house on the plaza
    friday night. More security and police surrounding the store than you’d see at a
    kcmo crime scene. The hottest gold digging
    chicks were there. Noone bought anything which
    meant the recession is still on but the appetizers and booze was good.
    The plaza was a ghosttown. Restaurants…bars…
    streets were bare for such a nice night.
    Valets said it was worst than when storms
    hit in winter.
    Police helicopters circled the plaza constantly.
    Police parked outside the cinemark theatre…
    probably 15 as the crowd left the theatre.
    The streets were bare. I did see some blacks
    walking the street but there was an eery
    feeling as they walked by us. They knew they
    were being watched closely.
    At the noodle place (the joint that serves
    noodles for $10 and thinks their food is
    super)…there were 3 tv stations reporting live.
    Channel 4 had a live 10pm opening and we
    watched the reporter do his feed to the
    station. His comments were dreadful. Where
    does a major tv station get reporters like
    this.
    Walked past capital grille…dead.
    The only people on the plaza we saw were
    people who took advantage of tivols earlier
    in the night.
    The lone piano man across from brio had an
    empty tip cup and said it was horrible.
    He sang “peaceful easy feeling” by the
    eagles and it was very appropriate.
    More cops everywhere. Had there been a crime
    on the plaza the poor crook would have been
    literally surrounded by half the kcpd.
    It killed the plaza and everyone mentioned
    what happened last weekend.
    We saw two professional black guys walking and
    saw they too felt uncomfortable there.
    If the job of the city and the police and
    highwoods was to show force this was the way
    to do it.
    But i wonder if it was overdone? I wonder if the
    families will come back to plaza. It could take
    months or longer to probably get the crowds
    back.
    Normally, this time of year the sidewalks are
    packed…people are with kids…none of that
    last night.
    What have we become? Is this what it takes for
    citiens to act civil and politely?
    This could go 2 ways. Either it moves the young
    blacks to other areas where they can do their
    deeds or it will hurt the plaza merchants
    dramatically.
    The plaza is our shining glory. Its part of our
    heritage and we brag about it to outsiders.
    People who come to kc say they love the plaza..
    but we’ll see what happens when the hot weather
    comes back.
    One police officer said they can’t do anything.
    They can show they are there but they can’t
    touch or harass these kids.
    I can tell you its only going to get worse.
    As the minority populations explode we’revseeing
    more and more problems.
    Will the plaza survive…yes…but Ithing they
    have to make the security/police presence less
    obvious. It was huge friday night.
    And the tv stations didnt help it either.
    I will look forward to seeing how the next
    few weeks work out for the plaza and if people
    come b ack.
    If they don’t we will have lost a true
    tresure of our community.

  6. Anonymous says:

    bschloz
    jojo hope you spent a few bucks too.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeryJdsbjII&feature=related

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