KC businesses share concerns about homeless man with machete
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Folks in one Kansas City neighborhood are breathing a sigh of relief.
A troublesome man is off the streets, after long periods of harassing businesses and homeowners in the city’s Volker neighborhood.
Homeowners there also complain of a homeless man threatening them with a machete, a concern that’s becoming more common.
Business operators along W. 39th Street said they’re aware Ronald Johnson, a homeless man who frequents the area, has been to jail before.
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A half-dozen of them said they view Johnson as a threat, but they’re still hopeful he gets some mental health assistance.
“I gave the dude as big a benefit as I possibly could until it was like, you stole stuff from me,” Joe Burnham said.
Burnham has operated Burning Spider Stoke Company, maker of custom made skateboards, for 10 years. He said he’s complained to police that Johnson often starts trouble, stealing from his store and cursing at customers while he does.
Burnham and other business managers believe Johnson carries a weapon.
“The dude is erratic and acting enough in my interactions with him that he’s not — the one predictable thing in this situation is that the dude isn’t there. He’s not making rational decisions,” Burnham said on Friday.
Jackson County court records indicate Johnson was arrested on March 18. He appeared in court on Friday afternoon, facing charges of criminal trespassing and meth possession. Neighbors tell FOX4 Johnson has been known to sleep on porches and break into their homes.
Some Volker neighbors also complain about a homeless man threatening them with a machete. Burnham said he and other merchants believe Johnson carries a weapon, but they haven’t seen it.
Doug Langner, who manages Hope Faith, helps more than 200 homeless people every day.
Langner believes a metro church may be giving machetes to homeless people, perhaps as a tool with which to work. Langner said he sees that as irresponsible, and he agrees with people along W. 39th Street that homeless people need compassion and assistance.
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“If you’ve been on the streets, there’s nothing worse than that. Living on the streets is dangerous,” Langner said. ‘They deserve to have a safe neighborhood. The person who is houseless deserves to be safe. The big thing we can do is to find solutions and get people off the streets.”
Cases involving machetes aren’t that uncommon. Jackson County court records also detail a February 2023 case that involves a murder in a homeless camp that involved a machete.
Johnson is scheduled to be back in court on April 15.
