KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.
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A racial slur spray painted on a Kansas City, Kan., church sign has been removed, but the senior pastor says the hate behind it remains a concern.
The Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department said its officers identified a "possible hate crime" on Sunday, Dec. 7. at Grace Tabernacle Family Life Outreach Center.
KCKPD officers responded to the church and completed a report for graffiti.
The racial slur was the N-word.
KCKPD said the department's investigations bureau is working with its federal partners as they continue to investigate the incident.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says it is not part of the investigation.
Mark Dupree, who serves as both senior pastor and Wyandotte County District Attorney, believes the vandalism was directly connected to his role as the county's top prosecutor.
The incident highlights ongoing tensions surrounding his office's handling of recent high-profile cases.
"There's no doubt, there's no doubt in my mind" Dupree said. He is convinced the vandalism was tied to his position as district attorney.
Dupree said he was shocked by the vandalism, especially in 2025, calling it "shocking, but not surprising."
"The pastor side of me said, 'This is literally nothing but the Devil,'" Dupree said. "After I was angry, I began to pray."
The incident occurred while children were present at the church for Saturday choir rehearsals.
Dupree said he had to address the hate message in real time.
"I'm speaking to the children while looking at this hate message and telling them, ‘Love in spite of,'" Dupree said.
This is not the first time the church has been vandalized, though Dupree said such incidents had never happened before his tenure as district attorney.
He says he’s adding more security cameras to his church after the latest incident.
Dupree has served as Wyandotte County District Attorney for nine years. In that time, he has faced increasing criticism from community members who have lost faith in the justice system.
"Not everyone understands the dynamic of the legal system,” Dupree said. “And when you don't understand, you blame whoever is the biggest target. I recognize as the chief law enforcement official in this county, I'm a big target. So when you don't know who else to blame, you blame Dupree."
He says he hasn't seen the recent petition circulating online demanding for him to be held accountable.
"I get calls on my personal cell, ‘Mr. Dupree, why didn’t you put this person in prison? They murdered my son, they harmed my daughter.’" And I have to tell them, ‘because the case hasn’t made it to my office yet.’
Dupree said its important to understand law enforcement officers have to investigate hundreds of crimes each years and most take months, often years, to solve.
"It’s important for folks to understand that we have to give our detectives time to do their investigation because we only have one shot at going to jury trial."
Dupree said the issue arises when criticism turns into putting others in harm's way.
"That's not about criticism, that's about hate," Dupree said. "And it's not okay."
Recent controversies include the death of Charles Adair, who died in July in the Wyandotte County Jail.
A Wyandotte County Sheriff's deputy has been charged in the case, but Dupree's office issued the deputy a summons instead of an arrest warrant.
Dupree said he considered several factors in that decision, including timing and the involvement of outside agencies.
"I don't have to deal with the politics of the law enforcement officer arresting the law enforcement officer or having the fight on if they agree or disagree,” Dupree said. I can serve him, now he's charged, and I can do my job.”
He also addressed scrutiny he’s facing over a recent case dismissal.
A judge thew out charges of a child sex abuse suspect, saying the defendant failed to get a speedy trial.
“This situation, it sucks because a victim suffered because a system's failure,” Dupree said.
Dupree says there wasn’t a policy in place requiring probation officers to file arrest warrants, but now there is.
“How do we fix it? By now putting a warrant in place,” Dupree said. "Probation will be doing that moving forward. Our numbers, our counting based off the systems, will be correct.. You can’t fix something until you know that it is flawed.”
Dupree acknowledged that his office has a responsibility to bridge the communication gap with the public, but said the gap has existed for decades.
"I think we play a huge role,” Dupree said. “I think it's important to note this gap has been here for decades before this administration," Dupree said.
Under his leadership, he says, his office has created the first and only conviction integrity unit in Kansas, which has led to the release of two individuals.
The office has also expanded from two victim advocates to six and created a YouTube channel to educate the public.
Dupree added violent crime in Wyandotte County has decreased by 30% during his tenure.
For Dupree, his faith and work are interconnected.
"This work that we do is ministry," Dupree said. "My life is ministry. The work that I do in the courthouse and outside the courthouse is a ministry."
Dupree believes race plays a factor in the criticism he faces.
"It is very clear to me that if I were not a Black man in this position, I would not be dealing with quite a bit of foolishness that I would have to deal with," Dupree said.
Despite the challenges, Dupree said he remains committed to his role and wants the community to reach out to him if they have concerns.
"The only reason why I am in this seat personally is because God told me to run for this office," Dupree said.
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