KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City, Missouri, attorney and activist who has been calling for the KCPD chief to resign issued an apology Tuesday night for comments made on Friday that the local Fraternal Order of the Police perceived as a threat.
Stacy Shaw, who spearheaded the occupation of KC City Hall in recent weeks, was filmed over the weekend outside of KCPD Headquarters speaking to protesters when she said protesters “will not be kind” anymore.
“We have been courteous. We have been respectful. But we’re not doing that anymore,” Shaw said in a video shared on social media.
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Shaw also said she knows where officers live and where their children attend school.
“I don’t need a weapon to come after people that are supposed to be in power,” Shaw said. “That ain’t my style. I don’t need a spray can. I don’t need any sort of weapon. What we’re going to start doing is we are going to start using your character against you. You will have no one, no one that loves you after we get done with this next campaign.”
Brad Lemon, KCFOP Lodge 99 president, said in a statement Saturday that the FOP lodge had started working with city and state leadership regarding Shaw’s comments.
As always we urge our membership to remain calm and act as we have been trained to do. We should always be aware of our surroundings and potential threats,” Lemon said in the statement. “Yes, Shaw’s threats serve to raise that threat level. We must remember that while a small number of people may be violent and threatening our families, the majority of this city supports you.”
Shaw said in a tweet Tuesday her comments were “regrettable” and not intended as a threat.
“To be clear, I do not endorse nor will I ever tolerate harm to police families or children,” Shaw said in the tweet. “We all deserve better. This video has become a distraction from the important work of organizers and activists that are on the brink of changing so much in this city and country.”
In a statement provided to 41 Action News Tuesday night, Lemon said the apology came "several days too late."
"It does not in any way mitigate the fact that our officers had to endure unwarranted threats from a member of the Missouri Bar," Lemon said. "The FOP will continue to evaluate whether to pursue criminal charges or file appropriate ethics complaints against her with the Missouri Disciplinary Administrator."
Shaw said she plans to take time to “focus on self-accountability.”
When contacted on Saturday, a KCPD spokesperson declined to comment since the FOP had already released a statement.
