KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
—
The Unified Government of Wyandotte County/KCK's City Planning Commission will discuss a resolution to ban special use permits for all penal or correctional institutions for two years Monday night.
Unified Government Commissioner Christian Ramirez, of District 3, introduced the resolution. In his announcement, he called it a proactive measure after ICE toured a warehouse in south Kansas City, Missouri, for a potential detention center on Jan. 15.
That same day, the Kansas City, Missouri, City Council passed a five-year ban on nonmunicipal detention facilities in the city.
Thomas Alonzo lives in Kansas City, Kansas, and as the chair of Equality Kansas, a statewide organization that advocates for LGBTQ+ rights, he has been advocating for marginalized voices in Kansas for years.
“To see the government take a progressive stance like this without being told to do it, to me, gives me hope that we’re still moving ahead," Alonzo said.
For Alonzo, this effort hits close to home. He plans to speak at the city planning commission meeting Monday night.
“KCK is probably what, 33, 35% Latino? My family is originally from Mexico, my grandparents on my dad’s side, and we don’t need that (a detention center) here," Alonzo said.
Edgar Galicia, executive director of nonprofit Central Avenue Betterment Association (CABA), works closely with business owners in Kansas City, Kansas.
He said many of the business owners he works with come from various cultural backgrounds, and many of them are worried about the possibility of a nearby detention center.
“Our businesses are suffering, our community is scared," Galicia said. "We need to do something about it.”
He said CABA partners with immigration attorneys to help educate local businesses on their rights.
Galicia said he is glad Ramirez is leading this effort at a local government level.
“I hope that all of our commissioners see it the same way," Galicia said.
If the city planning commission approves the resolution, it will move before the full commission for final approval.
—
