KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Friday night protest in an Overland Park neighborhood ended with arrests and protesters decrying police procedures.
The Miller Dream, a group whose mission is to fight systemic racism, said in a statement on its Facebook page that their protest began peacefully near College Boulevard and Quivira Road.
A statement from the Overland Park Police Department said their officers met with protest organizers and people who live near the protest area.
The march began about 8 p.m. and moved south on Quivira Road with two police department bicycle officers escorting the protesters.
The Miller Dream statement alleged the activists were met by a large number of police officers who did not have nameplates on their uniforms.
Several officers were in riot gear and that scared and upset some of the marchers, according to Miller Dream.
OPPD said the decision for officers to be allowed not to wear nameplates came after recent local doxxing of police officers.
The department said in its news release that most of the protesters stayed on the sidewalk as required by Overland Park municipal code.
The protesters and police differ in what led to a confrontation that ended with four people in jail.
Three of those arrested were changed in municipal court and the fourth person was charged with battery of a law enforcement officer.
"My department is committed to the safety of our great city," OPPD Chief Frank Donchez said in the release. "Overland Park welcomes a variety of voices through safe protesting. We must work together to ensure all voices are heard."
The group of activists stayed outside the Johnson County Jail all night Friday and into Saturday waiting for the release of the activist charged with battery of a law enforcement officer.
"It was amazing to see how we came together as a community. Many organizations were there in support and providing resources to bail and attorneys," according to the Miller Dream statement.
The group also thanked those who provided water, snacks and other items as the group waited outside the jail.
