‘Keep it peaceful, that’s all,’ Law enforcement agencies address planned protests
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KCTV) - Law enforcement agencies across the metro are aware of protests heading into the weekend.
On Saturday, thousands of ‘No Kings’ protests are planned nationwide.
According to organizers, this is a day of defiance, rejecting authoritarianism and Trump’s immigration policies.
Many of these protests will be scattered across the metro.
“Each and every time this particular group comes to Overland Park to protest, they always call us up, they let us know what times they’re going to be there, the location, things of that sort,” said Officer John Lacy with the Overland Park Police Department.
Lacy told KCTV5 that organizers called them earlier in the week, letting them know about the protests and that they expect around 300 protesters.
“The Overland Park Police Department has been ed by our community, and there was a little bit of concern,” Lacy said. “But we’ve seen this group before; each and every time, they’ve been very, very peaceful, so we’re looking for the same outcome.”
Lacy said that as a department, they aren’t necessarily doing anything different ahead of the weekend. But he said they are, of course, ready for anything.
“A lot of times, we see on the East coast and the West coast, things are happening such as riots, people are damaging cars, people getting injured,” Lacy said. “We don’t want that here in Overland Park. So what we are looking for is for people to come out and peacefully protest, get their message across, and basically go home.”
Lacy has a message for the protesters: “Keep it peaceful, that’s all. Everyone has a right to freedom of speech; we all understand that it’s in our Constitution. Our nation was built on that freedom of speech, so you have that right to exercise that right. But keep it peaceful.”
KCTV5 also reached out to the Kansas City Police Department. In a statement, a spokesperson said, “We are aware of this planned event and will be monitoring. We expect a peaceful gathering, regardless of how many people attend. We have response plans and protocols for first amendment gatherings in place that cover a wide variety of eventualities, should any issues arise.”
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