Patrick’s Police Presence

This year I didn’t go to the parade in KC - because when it was on was when Ireland would win the Six Nations rugby championship for the first time in over twenty years - or when they wouldn’t.

But having been to six of the previous seven including last year’s, I’m always surprised at the talk before and after of violence at the parade. I wouldn’t hesitate to bring a child to the parade. Well I would, but only if there was something really good on the telly.

So I haven’t figured out why this year’s parade with the small number of alcohol-related arrests is seen as a huge success whereas last year’s, with none, is not. I’ll guess it’s because it’s got nothing to do with alcohol and is probably because of the gunfire. Last year there was some, which is why this year the Star reported this:

There was less conspicuous alcohol consumption and more police presence this year. More than 160 officers were on duty, including black-clad members of the narcotics squad with thigh holsters who patrolled behind the barricades.

Officers also were on ATVs and horseback. Police beefed up their presence at known trouble spots on the north end of the route.

All of that was reassuring to many paradegoers.

What people outside Kansas City might not know is that the crowd watching the parade is racially divided, white at the south end and black at the north.

What’s very odd about this is that the only place I’ve heard more gunfire than when in my home in KC is when I spent a couple of weeks in Cambodia. In KC I get to hear gunfire two or three times a week, and it has always been so. So why is it important to tackle gunfire at a parade, yet the gunfire where people actually live goes on year after year untackled?

Unlike me, Tony was at the parade, and he has a piece today where he says the police presence ruined it for him:

I guess it’s just too much to hope that people can behave themselves without large scale police intervention. And woe betide any poor soul without the deep pockets to pay for blanket police protection for a public event in a town that seemingly can’t function without a cop looking over our shoulders.

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This entry was posted on Monday, March 19th, 2007 at 10:30 am and is filed under St Patrick's Day. You can follow responses via my RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.