TKC QUESTION: WILL KANSAS CITY HELP NEIGHBORS STRUGGLING AMID COVID-19 PANDEMIC OR ESCALATE CLASS WAR???



The economic impact of the Coronavirus has already created desperate circumstances in Kansas City.

Following the announcement of a "State Of Emergency" shut down, thousands of service industry workers have lost their main source of income: TIPS. More workers have been furloughed or laid off and the numbers of unemployed continue to rise. The nation is now on lock down as a precaution against the pandemic and conducting business as usual simply isn't an option.

In the coming days and weeks the rising need of workers without resources will become apparent on local streets. There is a promise of federal assistance and measures to stop local evictions and utility shut offs are now in place. Still, with a jump of 70,000 jobless claims, there's no denying that the current level of metro unemployment has been unseen since the Great Depression. There's hope that a couple of weeks of self-quarantine will work to "flatten the curve" while mainstream sources indicate that the US government is preparing for a COVID-19 pandemic that could last up to 18 months and 'include multiple waves of illness.'

Accordingly, here's the big question:

OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS KANSAS CITY HAS DECLARED WAR ON LOWER INCOME RESIDENTS AND NOW THE CORONAVIRUS WILL TEST THIS COMMUNITY'S COMMITMENT TO THOSE IN NEED!!!

Here are just a few examples of how KCMO has become an increasingly hostile place for the less fortunate.

Just last year a property tax crisis threatened to force lower income residents out of their homes.

A few weeks ago the proposed closing of a downtown homeless shelter earned headlines but also muted celebration among development boosters inside the loop who lament the blighting impact of services for the needy on nearby luxury real estate.

Every few years KCMO struggles to curb panhandling and the health department throwing bleach on food intended for the homeless garnered national headlines.



And while locals have celebrated the "renaissance" of Downtown, concerns about rampant gentrification have been downplayed as displacing lower income residents in Kansas City wasn't just a side effect of local development but seemingly part of the agenda of former Mayor Sly James.

Now the past is prologue and we are confronted with THOUSANDS OF WORKERS who will be unable to provide for themselves or get a job. Sure, $1K checks to most adults might help for a while but reliance on government aid is already a sketchy proposition and state infrastructure is struggling to keep up with demand. 

Unfortunately, advocacy for the poor isn't also without it's peril and politics. As much as helping people help themselves is admirable . . . KC has every right to be suspicious of protesters and their fair wage & fair housing goals when their advocacy is often tied to new laws that would virtually eliminate the profit motive for other workers who are also trying to scrape out a living.



Yesterday KC Tenants launched a social media barrage on the warpath against local evictions without much regard to home owners who might desperately need tenants paying rent during these hard times. To be fair to this group, they claimed to be rallying in order to rescue an old lady from being thrown out on the street . . . Which should never happen.

Still, turnabout is fair play and the very near future will show us both Republicans & Democrats engaging in desperately needed "socialism" under the guise of economic stimulus. Fact is, the survival of our nation could very well depend on how effectively and quickly emergency funds are directed to those desperately in need.

And while it's great locals are eager to support local businesses  . . . What we're really talking about here is Kansas City sharing resources with people who need it rather than just running to the grocery store in a desperate panic to hoard more toilet paper.



Call it charity, kindness or investment in the social fabric of this nation . . . It's clear that people already require help here locally, important organizations like the United Way are working to meet the demand but it appears that need will continue to grow as we weather the storm of Coronavirus together in Kansas City.



Developing . . .

Comments

  1. KC has always been very generous. This will not be an exception to our tradition and culture.

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    1. MAYBE. But in other trying times we weren't advised to avoid all contact with anyone and hide in our houses.

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    2. There are a lot of decent people in Kansas City. Not everybody is a mean as TKC commenters.

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  2. ^^^ We can only hope and pray that's true.

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    1. I guess 10:06 hasn't been to a CostCo lately.

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  3. Kc mayors and clowncil has declared war on everybody that isn’t a developer or filthy rich, they’re following the Obama rule, tax the middle class into oblivion, why do politicians hate the middle class so much? Why put their biggest tax base into the poor house? Where will they get their tax money when we are gone?

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  4. The Kansas City Atheist Coalition, always bragging about their charitable work...which always seems to follow on someone's coat tails...is NO WHERE TO BE FOUND.

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  5. Gawd will find a way.

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  6. I notice the press is saying how many males and females are getting the virus. It’s puzzling how all the other 57 genders aren’t getting it.

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  7. Don't understand your post, @11:12 - there are only 3 genders.
    There's male, there's female, and then there's You.

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  8. Will agree that Kansas City has a reputation for giving very generously. But it's going to take more than charity to help people out in the situation. They're talkin about three weeks to get people assistance, but many need it now.

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  9. Probably homosexuals are susceptible to the virus because of their low immunity and their promiscuity. Queers are promiscuous.

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    1. So your grandmother is gay but somehow you turned out ok? Weird.

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  10. Yeah, about as much as Frank White and Gail Beatty have been helping people.

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  11. Everyone will help, unless you come across a fat black woman in the toilet paper aisle.

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  12. 12:00: Thanks for sharing. You're a credit to your species.

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  13. Leave it alone.
    Let nature take it's course.
    Cull the herd.

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  14. @ 10:06 Apparently you are not nor have been around KC very long. The people in KC are horrible Hyde Park being the worst. I know a lady in Hyde Park that took care of her neighbors house when he was out of town, and after he died she robbed his house. Kansas City is full of lower class socially ignorant people, it use to not be that way years ago.

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    1. Yeah it didn't used to be that way until you moved in.

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  15. 12:42 I’m not waiting.... thank you thank you thank you! Hahaha!

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  16. fuck the landlords.tell them to get a job. social parasites

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  17. What pandemic? Trump says he has everything under control. #nero

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  18. Society has always had poor people and always will. I seriously doubt it will ever go away for many reasons. The major problem with working 100% to eliminate poor people is in doing so you will only increase the number of poor people.

    Once the lazy folks figure out how to get benefits from claiming to be poor your counts of those that are deemed to be poor will skyrocket.

    I'm all for lending a helping hand but only as long as in return society gets something back. There are many low skill jobs all areas have that need to be done but funding for such could be limited and that's where people receiving handouts who are able to do certain tasks can be utilized.

    Sometimes and more than you probably know as in take my brother for instance, there are poor people who don't care they are poor and have no desire to be anything else in life. Look at how many brag about living in their cars, vans or campers now and about being poor but they have chosen to be such. But due to their total income they are classified as poor.

    Massive government assistance will just get abused just as it is now. Those that need it won't get it and those who shouldn't have it will get it.

    So what are ya going to do?

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    1. You are so bright, the massive government tax break assistance to rich corporations has been abused with stock buybacks and bonuses. Now they beg for more welfare because they irresponsibly blew it all on luxuries.
      Oh I'm sorry, did you only want to talk about poor people because you are a prejudiced prick?

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  19. Coronavirus Carrier3/19/20, 2:24 PM

    I'm going to come over to your house and cough on you, Stupor Dave. That's what I'm going do. I'm going to do the world a big fucking favor.

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  20. 2:24 sounds like attempted murder to me, but then again you are stupid enough to get the Kung fu flu on purpose anyway.... and when you do it just might do all of us a favor and take you out! Hahahahaha!

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  21. Good comment super Dave, you hit a nerve with crybaby at 2:24!

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  22. 2:24 do the world a big fucking favor and die yourself!

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  23. "... they claimed to be rallying in order to rescue an old lady from being thrown out on the street . . . Which should never happen." OK, I'll bite. Where should they put her, on the sidewalk? Old ladies have to pay rent when it comes due, just like the rest of us.

    But be that as it may, don't trust the tenant advocates to tell the truth or give the full story. Like all single issue zealots, they are liars and dissemblers. Who is the old lady, why didn't she pay her rent, and why can't she find anywhere else to live?

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    1. Damn! Some people would throw out their own granny.

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  24. Mr. Coronavirus3/19/20, 3:46 PM

    I already got chuck. So, he's gone.

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  25. I'm Sleepy Joe and I forgot this message.

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  26. Why isn't granny's family taking care of her?

    Why don't the protesters take care of granny and let her live free at their house?

    Why doesn't granny repair the potholes?

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  27. Maybe Granny can live in one of Kansas City's many potholes. They are big enough; just need a roof.

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  28. When we see life display its unfairness, here’s what we should do:

    ADMIT. Deep down we know that life is unfair. Just admit that it is. It will help.

    ACCEPT. Accepting life’s unfairness doesn’t mean we like it. It does mean we accept it as part of our journey.

    ANTICIPATE. Once we accept that life is unfair, we’ll be less shocked and derailed when we see it. We should expect life to be unfair because it is.

    ADJUST. Because life is unfair, we’ll be called upon to adjust when we experience it. If not, then life’s unfairness will get the better of us. We don’t need to let that happen.

    ADAPT. If we fail to adapt to the unfairness of life, it can break us. We can become so disillusioned by it that we give up. But don’t give up because life is unfair — adapt to it and use it as a springboard for change.

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  29. Trump lied: Americans died. While we’re chatting ... how about this Trump Recession? Winning! 100% of the Trump rally now flushed down the shitter. MAGA!!!

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  30. I'm Sleepy Joe Biden and I forgot this message.

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  31. Only 91 Americans have perished. Thank you President Trump to have the foresight, strength and wisdom to implement travel bans to China, Korea, and Europe.

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  32. 4:54 Awww chimpy, apparently you weren’t around for the 55 million people that got sick and the 12496 that died during your grandpa Barry’s tenure as president, he let it go on for six months before he did anything, a thousand people died. It was a whole year before Barry got that under control. Also, 91 deaths after two months come tomorrow is nothing compared to what happened in Italy in just under a month. You can’t handle that the president despite a few missteps is doing a really good job getting things done, amazing really when you include the fact that your dumbass dimwit party was trying to impeach him during the beginning of this while they did nothing about it, hell, they didn’t even know what was going on so keep busy in quarantine flinging poo and stuffing bananas up your butt k!

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  33. ^^You're low on that number dumbass. You probably got that number from the idiot who is supposedly leading us through this. You know Mr. "I'm not responsible at all". Are you enjoying your victory lap from self quarantine or just social distancing? How bout those 401k's? Kicking ass still? Hang in there though, this shit's only just getting started. Numbers should skyrocket when, or should I say if, we ever get expanded testing. Ineptness at it's finest, this administration.

    ETTD.

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  34. 4:16 you’re one sick puppy, you better hope your welfare checks don’t get cut off during all this, remember dummy, it’s the taxes the middle class pay that pay your rent, food, transportation and healthcare, be careful what you wish for.

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  35. Lookee here 5:26 recited Tucker Carlson. Way to go dumbfuck. You're a good little mark for grifters like Fox News and their king Trump. You know there's context to those numbers that have nothing do with the US. Question, are you really dumb enough to think 55 million people got sick and the American stock market wouldn't be impacted, businesses wouldn't go under, so on. Fucking idiot.

    ETTD.

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  36. I'm Sleepy Joe Biden, I seemed to have lost my car. Wait a minute, they took my car keys from me ! So how did I get here? Do you know my phone number so I can call my wife to pick me up?

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  37. 5:34 hey retard, those numbers are accurate, look it up dipshit. are you really that stupid, yes, you really are, fucking idiot

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  38. Fox News is number one baby! Have been for years!

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  39. 5:34 “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that swine flu infected nearly 61 million people in the United States and caused 12,469 deaths.” It lasted from April 2009 till April 2010. OUCH.

    That must hurt you badly to know the full truth about your god Barry.

    TBTD.

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  40. OK. Even if Obama was a total fuck up, does that in any way, shape, or form excuse the ineptness we have in the White House now?

    People are getting tired of "Obama was worse" as an excuse for the do-nothing Pumpkin.

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  41. ^^^It is not an excuse. Obama examples are intended to, and do, demonstrate the insincerity and hypocrisy of the people who are complaining about Trump but were silent when Obama did the same or worse.

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  42. Since there is no defense of Trump's denial of the crisis, lack of attention, and inept response; his supporters resort to lying about Obama to feel better.

    There is no comparison. Remember, Obama created the CDC Global Pandemic team that Trump dismantled.

    The first case of H1N1 in the US was detected on April 15, 2009 and two days later, CDC laboratory testing confirmed a second infection. Within one week, the CDC had activated its Emergency Operations Center to respond to what it had identified as an emerging public health threat.

    Before the end of April, the government had declared a public health emergency and started releasing medical supplies and drugs from the CDC’s Strategic National Stockpile. “The real-time PCR test developed by CDC was cleared for use by diagnostic laboratories by FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) on April 28, 2009, less than two weeks after identification of the new pandemic virus,” the CDC notes on its website.

    The test developed by the CDC was created quickly. It was accurate. And it was shared with governments around the world.

    Six days after the first case was identified in April 2009, the CDC began working to develop a candidate vaccine virus. Clinical trials began in July. And on Sept. 15, the Food and Drug Administration approved four 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccines. The first doses of the vaccine were available in October, and by December, 100 million doses were available to be ordered.

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  43. The United Way is a wonderful organization. For those who can donate to it, please consider it after doing your research and checking what you can give.

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