By Michael Bushnell
Northeast News
October 21, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Kansas City’s Chief of Police wants residents to know, he’s listening to their concerns.

That’s why last week, Darryl Forté, held a community forum at the Mattie Rhodes Center. The purpose of the meeting was to facilitate a dialogue between the community and the police department regarding public safety and livability issues in the Northeast. Residents, business owners, school and city officials and church representatives attended the event.

Close to 100 Northeast residents turned out last week to get some straight answers on the recent uptick on crime in our area. Moderated by area neighborhood leaders from Indian Mound, Pendleton Heights, Independence Plaza and the Sheffield neighborhood, the forum allowed residents to ask the chief what is being done to address the violent crime wave that seems to be plaguing Northeast.

After urging residents to be more engaged in their community, Forté turned the floor over to Captain Joe McHale who heads up the Kansas City No Violence Alliance [KC NOVA] unit. According to McHale, KC NOVA has been actively working in Northeast since the homicide just outside Budd Park on Sept 1, when officers found the victim, DeAngelo A. Porchia, 19, dead on the front porch of his home after being shot.

At the conclusion of the meeting, prompted by new NEAT Director Mary Cyr, moderators submitted a list of commitments to the chief, seeking additional resources and officers for the community. Chief Forté declined to commit to any of the demands citing the current allocation of resources seemed to be working. However, Forté pledged to go to the city council and Mayor to have the $8 million stripped from the department’s budget this year reinstated in the next budget cycle.

The event was hosted by the Northeast Chamber of Commerce, Northeast CID, Northeast Neighborhoods, Northeast News, Northeast Alliance Together (NEAT) and Mattie Rhodes Center.