KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Protesters linked arms and briefly blocked traffic during a calm night on the Country Club Plaza Thursday evening, voicing their demands for change for the seventh straight day in Kansas City, Missouri.
Around 7 p.m., the protesters began to peacefully march through the Plaza to Mill Creek Park and continued north until they arrived at the Westport entertainment district.
The group is now walking up Main Street on the road. No police in sight @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/eTWoC2K45D
— Ariel Rothfield KSHB (@arothfield) June 5, 2020
The group then returned to the Plaza and briefly blocked streets there so no cars could pass. They could be heard chanting, “We won’t move!”
Shortly after 8 p.m., the group left the streets and allowed traffic to pass through again.
“We won’t move!” @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/wCBYnArnzo
— Ariel Rothfield KSHB (@arothfield) June 5, 2020
Into the evening, the group of protesters continued to block streets, but only for brief periods of time. 41 Action News reporter Ariel Rothfield said that it appeared the group may have blocked intersections for eight minutes and 46 seconds at a time, which was the amount of time that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pinned George Floyd, a black man, with his knee while Floyd pleaded that he couldn't breathe.
At 10:08 p.m., the group blocked an intersection and did not move until 10:16 p.m. The crowd cheered after one organizer said, "We made a difference tonight!"
Whenever the group blocks and intersection it seems like they spend eight minutes and 46 seconds there, which is the same length of time that Officer Derek Chauvin pinned Floyd down with his knee. @41actionnews
— Ariel Rothfield KSHB (@arothfield) June 5, 2020
The protests in Kansas City mirror those taking place in cities across the nation following the death of Floyd. Chauvin and the other three officers involved in his death are now facing charges.
Unlike other nights, Kansas City police did not have a presence on the Plaza Thursday evening.
Earlier in the day, police reopened roads in the Plaza area. The roads had been closed following protests over the weekend that began peacefully but turned violent later in the evenings.
Plaza businesses remained closed on Thursday, and it was not clear if they planned to reopen on Friday.
