MAYOR Q SUPPORTS CONVICTED KILLER, SCORNS SMALL BIZ!!!

Amid the ongoing pandemic, rampant protest and the current American cultural shift, there seems to be very little regard for compassion in the political discourse. 

Death curses and shaming are far more frequent than any honest attempt to find common ground. 

In this context we share a glimpse at the recent statements of Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas which offer some level of insight into his priorities as Kansas City's top ranking elected official.

In a recent tweet Mayor Q advocated for an inmate currently serving time for a triple murder.

Whilst an eyewitness said she was "pressured" to ID Mr. Strickland . . . The only other testimony "proving" his innocence comes from two other convicted killers. 

The reality is that prisons are packed full of convicts who maintain their innocence.

Of course Mr. Strickland has every right to pursue legal remedies and denounce injustice, racism and inequity in order to garner release but a wide array of former and current law enforcement officials have denied his claims.

Meanwhile . . . 

The mayor seems far less understanding of the plight endured by local restaurants and small biz confronting bankruptcy and the devastating prospect of laying off lower-wage workers. 

In a tweet that he might regret should he continue in politics . . . The mayor seems callous and arrogant in his dismissal of the hardships confronted by small businesses during this pandemic.

In the aftermath, the restaurant decided to use the Jackson County "private club" loophole and avoid the argument altogether.

However . . . Whilst we won't want to debate the "science" of mask mandates . . . Common sense tells us that the COVID protocols required of most dine-in restaurants are mostly a laughable (but necessary) charade. 

Patrons can remove their masks when sitting down and eating but the second they stand up they must put their masks back on in order to protect public health . . . And servers who are masked up throughout their shift

The "sit-kneel-stand" routine would evoke an eye-roll from even the most pious Catholics who might understand that the current plague probably doesn't respect posture. Meanwhile, people REALLY concerned about catching COVID are probably better off avoiding restaurants altogether until the rate of infection and "community spread" declines.

And so, as many www.TonysKansasCity.com readers have suggested . . .

This juxtaposition, yet again, reveals the mayor's apparent disdain for locals who disagree or question hastily crafted public health protocols. 

Throughout the pandemic there has been little effort at education or consensus building in an attempt to mitigate COVID-19. Instead the Mayor and his supporters have adopted an adversarial and antagonistic approach to skeptics and those who dispute the new American dress code.   

To be fair, some of the antipathy directed at the opposition is deserved as COVID conspiracy theorists have also been harsh and sometimes threatening in their own language. 

Nevertheless . . . 

At the outset of this new chapter in the pandemic, the conversation no longer hopes to create understanding and advocate for public health. Instead, Kansas City and the nation have come enraptured by culture war etiquette that champions pointless social media witticisms over real leadership and building community.

You decide . . .