Dorri Partain
Contributor

Joining the usual sound of trucks and cars zooming along Independence Boulevard, each Monday at 1:30 p.m. the sound of a bell tolling resonates through the surrounding blocks neighboring the intersection at Gladstone Boulevard.

The event, known as Monday Memory Bells, is meant to remind those who hear them of the number of lives lost to violence in the past year. On November 28, the bell rang 152 times.

Inside the bell tower at Independence Boulevard Christian Church, 606 Gladstone Blvd., music director Victor Snow pushes a wooden lever down repeatedly for the 152 tolls that day.

The carillon consists of eleven bells, but only one is used during the memorial.

“I usually just pick one of the mid-tone bells, nothing too deep or high,” explains Snow. To keep count, he added, “I make up a bit of a tune, especially as the year progresses and the number gets higher.”

The remembrances began on June 7, 2021, with the bell tolling 60 times.
Pastor Mindy Fugarino recalled that the catalyst for the Memory Bells was the murder of two Somalian brothers, Abdulwahid, 16, and Abdiraham, 14, by their older brother. The brother, Hanad Abdiaziz, was killed during a confrontation with the police the following day.

“After the three brothers were killed in 2021, several local leaders gathered to brainstorm what we can do to build for peace,” Fugarino said. “This group became known as Ripples for Change. We seek to know and be known for a safer, stronger, supportive community. As we met for the first time, we all wanted a way to remind ourselves and the community of the lives who have been lost and to never let us forget the need to keep working for peace.”

Associate Pastor Jennifer Barrett keeps track of the homicide rate and updates the church’s Memory Bell web page. The page only lists the homicide numbers, not the victim’s names.

“We only collate the number of homicides within Kansas City, Missouri, but still it is a large number,” Barrett said. “And we start over at the end of the year. It would be too much strain on the bell ringer if we didn’t.”
On the last Monday of 2021, the count had reached 157. The tolling resumed in 2022 on January 24, with seven tolls.

Known locally as IBCC, the grand church has stood at the intersection of Independence and Gladstone boulevards since its completion in 1905. Built from Bedford Bluff limestone, the building was designed by the Kansas City architectural firm Howe, Hoit and Cutler. One of the church’s prominent members at the time it was built, lumber baron R.A. Long, contributed nearly half of the $125,00 construction cost. The bell tower, which houses the carillon, was added in 1919 and holds the original McShane Bell Foundry bronze bells. The smallest one weighs 575 pounds, but the bells are fairly easy to ring by pushing the lever for each bell downward, which pulls the rope to make it ring.

Without missing a beat, Snow switches hands halfway through the tolling and then takes a deep breath as he finishes.

After initiating the Monday Memory Bells, Ripples For Change has evolved into additional activities in area parks.

“In an effort to decrease feelings of isolation and hostility toward the unknown, we’ve hosted several community-wide events in the public parks, with free food and activities to try to build relationships and connections across diverse people groups in the area,” Fugarino said.

Ryogoku Soccer Academy students, whose home is in the church building, have been instrumental in planning and leading these events, along with IBCC, the Micah Ministry – their Monday night outreach program for those experiencing homelessness – Maddie Rhodes, Kansas City Police Department, Rev. Juan Acosta, Uniting & Reclaiming Our Community Mutual Aid, and several other organizations have shown up to offer support at each event.

Fugarino is looking forward to 2023 and exploring new ways to build peace. Any interested groups or individuals are welcome to attend and help plan future events. Meetings are held the second Monday of the month from 1:30 to 3 p.m. To get notifications of upcoming meetings, call the church at 816-231-0016.