Kansas City to honor children’s lives lost to violence over past two decades
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Violence against children is on the minds of leaders in Kansas City.
Monday afternoon, city leaders spoke at Hibbs Park, near E. 59th Street and Jackson Avenue, where a children’s memorial will go up, honoring anyone who died younger than 18 due to violence, from 2001 to 2024.
“This memorial serves as a beacon of resilience and unity providing a space for reflection, healing, and renewal,” Mayor Pro Tem Ryana Parks-Shaw said during Monday’s news conference.
Anyone can suggest a name between now and May 15 for two granite memorial columns that will go up at the park, honoring children that have been lost due to violence.
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May 15 was the birthday of a little girl found murdered and dumped in the woods across the street from the original Hibbs Park in 2001. Her identity was a mystery for years. The community named her Precious Doe until she was eventually identified as Erica Green.
Long time Civil Rights leader, former Mayor Pro Tem, and AdHoc Group Against Crime Founding Member Alvin Brooks says for our young people, it is the worst of times.
The Kansas City Police Department’s Daily Homicide Analysis shows six people 17 or younger have been killed in the city this year alone.
“Although Erica was not killed with a gun, but gun violence is the leading cause of death among our young people,” Brooks said during the news conference. “So, I raise the question, if not now, when?”
Precious Doe’s brother Larry Sanders and her two nephews came in from Oklahoma for Monday’s news conference. The three of them all had on Oklahoma City Thunder uninforms.
“I just want to say thank you to everybody here. Also, I want to say thank you for also just continuing to remember her and the other children’s lives as well,” Sanders said. “I continue to use that to motivate me every day to do better for me, myself, and the other people around me, and I also wanted to say thank you all, so god bless every one of you. Like I said, this is hard for me, so, I can’t really speak too much, so thank you all.”
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The news conference comes five days after a girl was shot and killed near E. 33rd Street and Flora Avenue. The victim’s name is Kourtney Freeman. The news conference also happened the same day KC Mothers in Charge held a vigil outside the Freeman home.
“I think about an 11-year-old who lost her life just this past week,” Mayor Quinton Lucas said during the news conference Monday, talking about Freeman.
If you’re interested in submitting a name to the memorial that will go up at Hibbs Park, click here.
