Kansas City Protests | COVID-19 Racial Disparities

By Steve Kraske,

Published June 1, 2020 at 2:47 PM CDT

Protesters chant, "Hands up, don't shoot!" after a march on Main Street in Kansas City Sunday night. They ended up face-to-face with a line of police officers near 47th and Main. — Protesters chant on Sunday after a march on Main Street in Kansas City. They ended up face-to-face with a line of police officers near 47th and Main.

Segment 1: Kansas City responded to the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd with three nights of protests.

The weekend's protests against police violence towards black people had peaceful moments, but ultimately turned volatile between police officers and protesters.

Quinton Lucas, Kansas City, Missouri, mayor
Marcell Denmon, Kansas City protester
Carlos Moreno, KCUR contributing photographer
Keji Akinmoladun, Kansas City protest organizer

Segment 2, beginning at 25:37: Black people in Kansas and Missouri are dying from COVID-19 at higher rates than white residents.

APM Research Lab looked at racial disparities among COVID-19 deaths and found the disparities in Kansas and Missouri to be some of the worst in the country. But the health inequities that are causing them have been here a lot longer than the virus.

Andi Egbert, APM Research Lab senior researcher
Broderick Crawford, NBC Community Development Corporation president and part of a health equity task force in Wyandotte County, Kansas
Rev. Eric Williams, Calvary Temple Baptist Church pastor

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Up To Date Racism Coronavirus Kansas City Missouri (KCMO)Kansas City Kansas (KCK)protests Talk Show health outcomes Police shootings Kansas City Police Department Black Lives Matter African Americans

Steve Kraske

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.

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Danie Alexander

As senior producer of Up To Date, I want our listeners to hear familiar and new voices that shine light on the issues and challenges facing the myriad communities KCUR serves, and to expose our audiences to the wonderful and the creative in the Kansas City area. Just as important to me is an obligation to mentor the next generation of producers to ensure that the important conversations continue. Reach me at alexanderdk@kcur.org.

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Mackenzie Martin

Whether it’s something happening right now or something that happened 100 years ago, some stories don’t fit in the short few minutes of a newscast. As a podcast producer and reporter at KCUR Studios, I help investigate questions and local curiosities in a way that brings listeners along for adventures with plot twists and thought-provoking ideas. Sometimes there isn’t an easy answer in the end – but my hope is that we all leave with a greater understanding of the city we live in. Reach me at mackenzie@kcur.org.

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