Tenure Of Mayor Quinton Lucas: Bloodiest In Kansas City History

We didn't expect Mayor Q to say much about a horrific milestone Kansas City achieved this week.

However . . . 

We're still surprised that the topic has met with silence from virtually every elected official in Kansas City.

The stats deserve more context . . . And here's a fact that stands out to us given the absence of a mainstream challenger to Mayor Q in the upcoming election . . . 

MAYOR QUINTON LUCAS HAS PRESIDED OVER THE BLOODIEST YEARS IN KANSAS CITY HISTORY!!!

Of course there's plenty of blame to go around but here are a few facts that deserve attention . . .

- The bloodshed coincided with the pandemic and a riot/uprising on the Country Club in support of the BLM movement following the police murder of George Floyd. Remember, Mayor Q shouted with protesters/rioters "no justice, no peace" as their clashes with law enforcement lasted for two weeks and brought entertainment district business to a standstill. The Plaza has yet to recover from riots and anchor tenant Nordstrom's abandoned plans to move to the district.

 - Mayor Q is one of the very few elected officials to engage in a legal battle over police funding. He lost a challenge in 2020 and a recent Missouri vote in 2022 mandated more police funding. Mostly unreported by local media . . . Kansas City's Northland voted OVERWHELMINGLY in support of police funding. 

 - Very much like his predecessor Sly James, Mayor Q has championed gun control and targeted Jeff City Republicans with criticism and blame for permissive gun laws blamed for the rise in homicide rates without much statistical proof AND ignoring rural Missouri stats which contradict the local trend. 

Finally . . . 

It's worth remembering that Mayor Q vowed to work toward pushing the annual homicide count under 100 at the outset of his tenure.

Accordingly . . .

We offer this summary if only to note a truism . . . 

MAYOR Q'S RECORD ON DEADLY CRIME IS STATISTICALLY INDEFENSIBLE AND YET THERE'S LITTLE DEMAND FOR CHANGE!!!

 Per ushe . . . The fight boils down the partisan culture war and no hint at solutions. 

A sign of hope . . .

Police supporters are backing a slate of candidates for council and it seems like the Mayor might not have such an easy time controlling his colleagues during his upcoming term.

However . . .

The fact that Kansas City's political establishment hasn't been able to challenge or even question Mayor Q in the mist of this historic failure is a troubling sign that this cowtown's democracy is crumbling. 

Local voter turnout continues to slump and overall most residents have consigned themselves to living with an elite, greedy and nearly useless civic leadership class that's so obsessed with career advancement that they have little interest in the cycle of violence threatening to send Kansas City into a downward spiral.

In the meantime . . .

Here's more deets on recent killing in local streets . . .

Two shooting deaths bring the number of homicides in Kansas City this year to 159, making 2022 the second-deadliest year in Kansas City history. The deadliest year in the city’s history was in 2020, when 179 homicides were recorded. There were 171 homicides at this point that year.

The five deadliest years for homicides in Kansas City are as follows:

    2020 - 179 homicides
    2022 - 159 homicides so far
    2021 - 157 homicides
    1993 - 153 homicides
    2019 - 151 homicides

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

2022 now the 2nd deadliest year in Kansas City history

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A pair of homicides Thursday night made this year the second-deadliest year in Kansas City history. Officers responded around 6 p.m. Thursday to an apartment on The Paseo near East Meyer Boulevard in order to check the welfare of someone there.