Lykins Neighborhood Association Secretary Fai Beal (right) listens to a response from KCPD East Patrol Officer Young. | Photo by Dan Bethe

Dorri Partain

Managing Editor

Historic Northeast neighbors concerned about crime and additional issues attended a community forum at the North-East Branch Library on Wednesday, Aug. 27. This forum was coordinated by members of the Lykins Neighborhood Association and featured panelists representing the City of Kansas City, along with the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD), Kansas City Fire Department (KCFD)and other community resources.

Lykins’s Board members Fai Beal and Angie Hicks-Curtis presented questions from attendees and moderated the time allotted for discussions in addition to comments and questions from the floor.

Kansas City City Council members Rayna Parks-Shaw (5th District, Mayor Pro Tem) and Melissa Robinson (Third District) addressed questions and offered solutions related to City ordinances and progress on a new municipal detention center.

Kansas City East Patrol Police (KCPD EPD) officers Quiles, Stearkal and Young addressed multiple questions regarding property theft, response times, trespassing and patrolling city park property.

James Dean, Kansas City Fire Department deputy chief, addressed questions regarding abandoned properties and arson fires.

Molly Manske, manager of public safety for the Mattie Rhodes Center’s PárateXPaz (Stand Up 4 Peace) outreach program outlined resources for crime reduction and mediation. These resources are available at its outreach center located at 5108 Independence Ave.

Following the two-hour forum, Hicks-Curtis thanked attendees and panelists for their input and stated additional questions not addressed during the forum would continue to be addressed through comment cards they were invited to fill out.