South KC Watts Mill Treatise Proclaims: 'We Don't Want To Be The Next Sunfresh'

This open letter cuts to the core of KCMO support for local biz and calls out elected leaders for ongoing neglect . . .

We don't want to jump in the way so we'll make it quick with the summary . . .

WATTS MILL BIZ DELIVERS SCATHING MESSAGE TO MAYOR & COUNCIL!!!

Check the message sent to www.TonysKansasCity.com by more than a few locals . . . 

Urgent: Public Safety Crisis at Watts Mill Plaza — Immediate City Action Needed 

Dear Mayor Lucas and Councilwoman Bough,

I want to begin by saying how deeply disappointing your latest responses have been — especially regarding the suggestion that we form a Community Improvement District (CID) to “patrol our own streets.” That statement alone proves how out of touch this City Council is with what’s really happening in South Kansas City.

Let me be clear: a CID is not, and never was, intended to replace core city functions like policing, public safety, and sanitation. Suggesting that the business and property owners — including the car dealers of Watts Mill — should tax ourselves again to provide the security our city taxes are supposed to pay for is an insult.

1. CID is not a solution to the City’s failure to protect us

Our property owners, Brixmor, have already explored forming a CID and have repeatedly tried to get information and guidance from the City. Each time, they were met with red tape and silence. Even David Aarcon, President of Munisupport out of Chicago — who works nationally with property owners and local governments to reduce crime and blight — has said he’s never experienced a city leadership team as uncooperative and uninterested in helping property owners as what he’s encountered here in Kansas City.

Both David and our landlord, Brixmor, have said the same thing: they have never dealt with a city leadership team that didn’t want to help property owners the way Kansas City has resisted doing so here. They’ve hit roadblocks at every turn, even when offering proven solutions that have worked successfully in other major cities.

So, let’s stop pretending that a CID is some quick fix. We’ve watched many of you stand at the podium when other areas cried for help — River Market, Downtown, the Plaza, 18th & Vine, and 39th & Prospect — all receiving direct city support, funding, and additional police coverage when their crime problems grew. Meanwhile, South Kansas City is told to “create a CID.”

As of this year, KCPD’s South Patrol Division — which covers a huge geographic area stretching from Bannister to 155th Street — reportedly has only three to four officers per shift to protect tens of thousands of residents and dozens of commercial centers. They need more resources, plain and simple.

2. The jail excuse doesn’t hold up

Mayor Lucas, you recently told me you “disagree with my assessment” about the jail issue. You’re entitled to that view. But disagreement doesn’t solve anything — and it doesn’t answer the fundamental question:

What exactly are KCPD officers supposed to do when repeat offenders can’t be detained because there’s nowhere to take them?

When individuals are harassing customers, trespassing, vandalizing, or starting fires — and refuse help from outreach programs like Josh Henges’ team — what then? Are we just expected to “deal with them” indefinitely until they decide they want help? Both Jasper and I have had the same troublemakers repeatedly spoken to by KCPD, and all officers can do is tell them to move along — because they can’t take them anywhere. Or if they do, they’re released within 24 hours and return with a vengeance.

Just a couple of weeks ago, we had one of these individuals pull his pants down in front of our north patio window — right in front of my mother-in-law, her friends, and families with young children — at 6:30 p.m. on a Tuesday. Yes, we filed a police report and yes, KCPD is trying to locate him, but this is how out of control this area has become. Thanks to the free Metro, they come from all over the city to this area.

What do you tell families and their children who come to Watts Mill for a nice dinner and have to witness that? I have installed more than 15 cameras inside and outside our business. What good are they if nothing can be done when someone commits a crime and is caught?

Mayor Lucas, you said a temporary jail will open in May 2026. That’s fine — but we’re living this chaos right now. Until that facility is ready, what is your operational plan for enforcement in South Kansas City? Because if there’s no place to take those who continually break the law, the ordinances you pass mean absolutely nothing.

And one more thing: I’m frustrated. I’m a small business owner trying to protect my livelihood, my employees, and — most importantly — our guests, while the city I help fund through taxes continues to ignore us. You want me gone? I’ll gladly return to running my two businesses that I operate here in Kansas City — if and when you do your job. Until then, I’m not leaving. I’ll be organizing my neighbors, filing complaints, attending council meetings, and using every legal means available to demand results.

I would much rather be a partner in fixing these issues — just as I have been with MoDOT and with multiple neighborhood HOAs who’ve reached out for help since the City would not — but instead, you treat me as a foe. That’s on you, not me.

3. The fear is real — and growing

This isn’t political. It’s personal and it's a safety issue. My customers — loyal Kansas Citians who have supported us for years — now tell me they’re afraid to come down to Watts Mill. I hear the same stories from Jasper and his brother Leonard; their customers are also scared to drive down due to the issues in the parking lot. They’ve been harassed, followed, yelled at, and threatened. My staff doesn’t feel safe walking to their cars at night. And it’s been like this for nearly five years now.

I still remember when we took that walk along the trail years ago, Councilwoman Bough — you and Brian Platt both promised action. Yet here we are, worse off than before. The camp under the 435 bridge is bigger, the trash is worse, flooding from debris blocking storm drains has happened twice this year, and the violence is escalating.

4. MoDOT has done more than the City

While City Hall deflects responsibility, even MoDOT — which oversees state roadways and bridges — has stepped up. I’ve worked directly with MoDOT officials to help clear encampments and debris under Highway 435. They told me today that the camp under the 435 bridge over Stateline will be cleared next week by a contractor they hired. But what is your plan to keep them from returning? Because they always do — as they have for the past three years.

I’ve personally cleaned up under that same bridge with volunteers we organized to clean up the Watts Mill area several times, working with Parks and Recreation and Park Rangers to facilitate the 24-hour notice for them to leave and coordinate trash pickup.

Here’s how a MoDOT representative described the situation in their own words:

“It is considered a trespass problem, so if we have trouble with them leaving, MoDOT needs to contact KCPD to remove them. MoDOT has stepped up its efforts to remove them from our structures due to the very reason you have specified — fires reducing the life expectancy of our bridges.

Contact me again and I will schedule another cleaning if they return. We just hope that with repetition they will decide to locate elsewhere.

We currently spend almost $2 million dollars to clean up the mess left behind in our Kansas City district alone.”

That quote came directly from a MoDOT district director — and it shows that even a state agency is taking responsibility and action, while our city leaders continue to punt the problem down the road.

5. Facts show City neglect

KCPD’s South Patrol Division, located at 9701 Marion Park Drive, covers one of the largest geographical areas in the city yet remains consistently understaffed, averaging just a few officers per shift.

The City’s own budget shows that over 40% of the General Fund goes toward policing and public safety — so lack of funding is not the issue.

Studies show that focused, place-based policing — like the Kansas City Risk-Based Policing Initiative, which cut violent crime by 22% in its target areas — works when leadership commits to it.

What we lack isn’t data or ideas — it’s willpower. The will to treat South Kansas City as equal to every other district in this city.

6. What we expect — immediately

I’m done with vague replies like “we’ll discuss it with South Patrol” or “we encourage you to form a CID.” We need real, documented commitments. Here’s what I’m asking for, on the record:

    A written, detailed enforcement plan from the City and KCPD outlining how Watts Mill and South Kansas City will be protected between now and the jail opening in 2026.

    Transparency on staffing: publish the number of officers currently assigned to South Patrol and how that compares to other divisions.

    A directive from City Council and the Mayor that South Kansas City receive equitable police coverage and resources.

    Monthly progress reports from city staff and KCPD on encampment removals, enforcement actions, and reoccupation prevention.

    A public meeting at Watts Mill within 30 days, where you — the Mayor, Councilmembers, and Police leadership — walk the site, see the conditions yourselves, and answer our questions directly.

7. Respect and accountability

I’ve sent dozens of emails over the years. I’ve shown you photos, videos, and firsthand evidence. Yet only when my friend Jasper Mirabile — a respected figure in Kansas City — writes in, do we see immediate replies and copied responses from the Mayor.

That’s fine; I’m not asking for attention. But what hurts is that as a resident, business owner, and taxpayer, I’ve been ignored and dismissed. I pay into the same system as everyone else. My taxes fund the very salaries of the City Council members who are supposed to represent us.

So don’t tell us to create a CID as a way to “help ourselves.” That’s not leadership — that’s passing the buck.

We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re asking for the same respect and protection every other area in Kansas City receives when it faces a crisis.

If you want to disagree with my tone, fine. But don’t ignore the reality — because I will keep documenting it, sharing it, and demanding action until we see real, long-lasting results. We don’t want to be the next Sunfresh.

Respectfully,
Matthew Alexiou
Southside Bar & Grille
Watts Mill Plaza
Kansas City, Missouri
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