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Up To Date

Wyandotte County District Attorney | 'America: What Went Wrong?'

By Steve Kraske,
Luke X. Martin
Published June 23, 2020 at 1:40 PM CDT
District Attorney Mark DuPree in a dark suit, white shirt and red-striped tie standing at a podium with multiple news channel microphones with the district attorneys seal on the wall behind him.
Andrea Tudhope
/
KCUR 89.3
A new task force examining police and community relations in Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, includes the mayor, the police chief, and the sheriff, but not District Attorney Mark Dupree.

The first Black district attorney in Kansas shares his thoughts on reforming policing and the justice system, and a Pulitzer Prize-winner updates his 1992 bestseller about the undermining of the American dream.

Segment 1, beginning at 4:10: Mark Dupree has rolled out bias training for his staff and a new community integrity unit.

A recent move to leave the Wyandotte County district attorney off a newly-formed task force on police and community relations left many in Kansas City, Kansas, scratching their heads. The outspoken district attorney discusses being excluded from the effort, and his ideas for rebuilding public trust in police.

Segment 2, beginning at 32:55: How much has changed in 38 years?

Donald Barlett and James Steele's 1992 bestseller "America: What Went Wrong?" documented how tax policies and deregulation were hammering the middle class, how the rich were growing ever more rich and how the health care and retirement systems were eroding. So how have things developed since then?

Tags
Up To Date Talk ShowKansas City Kansas (KCK)Wyandotte CountyMark DupreecrimepolicecommunityUnified Government of Wyandotte County/KCKBookstaxeshistoryretirementAmerican Dream
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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Luke X. Martin
As culture editor, I help you embrace what makes Kansas City fun and vibrant, whether it’s a championship sports franchise or a little-known wonder. I work with reporters to ensure KCUR stories on art, culture, and race fully reflect our diverse home so readers and listeners can take full advantage of what the metro has to offer. Email me at luke@kcur.org.
See stories by Luke X. Martin