KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As many people in the Kansas City area and in the U.S. await a verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial, Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas weighed in on the possibility of protests following a decision by the jury.
In a Tuesday morning interview with CNN, Lucas said the city and law enforcement agencies "can't be too reactionary" when responding to the potential protests.
"I don't think having a big armada of national guardsmen makes anything better," Lucas said. "The real way you can fix it is actually getting to people's minds and visiting with them and listening. Not just saying we're going to have a big division between all of us."
In 2020, Kansas Citians gathered over the course of several days to protests police brutality after George Floyd died during a confrontation with Chauvin and other officers from the Minneapolis Police Department.
Chauvin now faces charges of second and third-degree murder, as well as manslaughter, for his involvement in Floyd's death.
After tensions rose in the protests, law enforcement agencies began to deploy tear gas and mace.
On the second night of the protests, more than 50 people were arrested by police. Businesses and buildings in the Country Club Plaza were also damaged during the protests.
However, this time around, Lucas said the focus needs to be on the well-being of the people calling for change.
"We can't just sit back and just say we need to protect property, we need to people protect people even more," he said.
On Friday, faith leaders from the Kansas City area met with members from KCPD to discuss potential protests following the verdict in the Chauvin trial.
Lucas also said he plans to meet with Kansas City area activists on Wednesday to discuss their concerns.
41 Action News also spoke with a mental health expert who offered tips on how to deal with anxiety as people await the verdict in the trial.
