By Paul Thompson
Northeast News
May 25, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Several dozen members of Kansas City’s most violent groups answered the call of the Kansas City No Violence Alliance on Tuesday, May 17, meeting with NoVA officials at the Independence Boulevard Christian Church in the Historic Northeast.

NoVA refers to these intermittent meetings as “call-ins.” In practice, they are interventions of a sort – intended to offer social services and help curb a life of crime, while also warning of dire repercussions for those who commit acts of violence after the meetings.

So how many of the group members ultimately take advantage of the offer?

During the May 17 call-in, KC NoVA client advocate Andre Carson stepped to the microphone to familiarize attendees with the social services provided by KC NoVA. That help includes treatment for substance abuse, anger management training, and legal support as well as other necessities like clothing, childcare assistance, and housing services. Carson noted that in the two months since NoVA last hosted a call-in (on March 8), the program has helped 35 new clients, while assisting 30 individuals with job training and education.

“If you’re serious about trying to make a change in your life, we’re going to do everything we can to make that happen,” said Carson. “We’re your advocates.”

Spreading KC NoVA’s positive message remains a work in progress. According to the Kansas City Police Department’s 2015 annual report, thirty of Kansas City’s 110 homicides in 2015 were the result of an argument; eight were part of a robbery, six were retaliatory in nature, and five revolved around drugs. The victims of these crimes were largely black males (63%), while the vast majority were the result of handgun fire (72.7%).

Despite a rise in homicides in 2015, Chief of Police Darryl Forte defended the KC NoVA program in a February 2, 2016 blog post. Forte wrote that he wholeheartedly believes “there would have been much more violence the past year without NoVA’s work.”

Forte cited arrest statistics over the previous two years to back up his claim: in total, the KCPD had arrested 31 felons in possession of a firearm and 17 individuals with federal warrants over the period. In addition, KC NoVA held 11 call-in events attended by 241 people identified as members of violent criminal networks.

The Police Chief further noted that 337 individuals on the periphery of targeted criminal networks had been assessed for social services. Of those assessed, 103 were receiving help at the time of Forte’s February post.

In a phone interview after the call-in, KC NoVA Project Manager Major Rick Smith stressed just how vital the social services aspect of the program is. In short, the promise of no-strings-attached help is a cornerstone of KC NoVA’s mission.

“Our goal is to help anybody we can,” said Smith. “The whole program is based on it. If it wasn’t a sincere offer to change their lives, none of this would work. It’s very important.”

Still, KC NoVA has found that it takes time and dedication to get that message across. At the May 17 call-in, Carson told the story of a recent job fair that was sponsored by KC NoVA. Although he acknowledged that shifting dates for the job fair was a contributing factor, he lamented the fact that turnout was low for the open employment opportunity.

“Last week, we put together a job fair for our clients,” said Carson. “Only three guys showed up.”

From the beginning, NoVA’s stakeholders knew their message would be a tough sell. However, there have been signs of a sea change. Attendance at the latest call-in was up, and Forte praised those at Independence Boulevard Christian Church for their general attentiveness during the meeting.

“I want to say thank you for that,” said Forte during the call-in. “That means a lot to me. Hopefully you’re getting something from this.”

One could hear a pin drop early in the call-in, as members of the KC Mothers in Charge ad hoc group pulled heartstrings by relaying stories about and showing pictures of their own children, each of whom was a victim of a homicide in Kansas City. One mother described the crime scene of her son’s death, discussing how she unzipped the body bag to beg her son to get up and come home. Each mother described the pain of seeing a child brought down by senseless violence, and several were brought to tears as they recounted the haunting memories.

“We’re part of a club that we didn’t ask to join,” said Rosilyn Temple, founder of the Kansas City chapter of Mothers in Charge and mother to Antonio Thompson, who was killed at the age of 26.

For Major Smith, the participation of Mothers in Charge is central to KC NoVA’s message. In addition to providing a real-world example of the damage inflicted by violent crime, the group represents the kind of community buy-in that’s critical to the success of the program.

“Rosilyn’s up here now; we work together all the time,” said Smith. “When have you seen such community involvement in a police project?”