The victim of a homicide on Friday afternoon in the 6200 block of Webster Avenue has been identified, according to a Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department spokesman.
Ieshia A. Pearl, 30, was a resident of Kansas City, Kansas, according to the police spokesman.
The incident remains under investigation by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department’s Major Case Unit, the spokesman stated.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the Crime Stoppers TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS. All tips will remain anonymous and qualify for a cash reward, the spokesman stated.
A news conference was held online on Monday morning urging Gov. Laura Kelly to veto House Bill 2717, which would nullify a Safe and Welcoming ordinance that passed in Kansas City, Kansas. (Picture from Zoom news conference)
Kansas City, Kansas, Mayor Tyrone Garner and others today urged Gov. Laura Kelly to veto a legislative bill that would nullify the Safe and Welcoming ordinance in Kansas City, Kansas.
The ordinance, approved Feb. 10 by the Unified Government Commission, outlines a process for issuing identification cards for Kansas City, Kansas, residents and it also states that UG resources cannot be used to enforce federal immigration law. It also says that the UG is an inclusive and welcoming city for immigrant members of the community. The ordinance does not apply to Bonner Springs and Edwardsville.
Mayor Garner, a former deputy police chief of Kansas City, Kansas, said this morning that the ordinance represents that Wyandotte County is a very diverse community that values its immigrants, and realizes the diversity the immigrant community brings to the cultural fabric of the community, bringing the neighborhoods together on a foundation of respect, love and understanding.
The UG ordinance guarantees that all people, including immigrants, will be able to use all UG services regardless of where the immigrants are from, he said. It also upholds the guarantees of the federal constitution protecting residents against unreasonable search and seizure, he said.
Residents who have chosen Wyandotte County to be their home need to feel safe and protected by law enforcement, and receive services, and also feel secure they will not be exposed to unreasonable immigration enforcement, he said.
He added many residents, including elderly, are indigent and some are homeless, as well as youth in foster care, and ex-offenders, who lack photo IDs. The Safe and Welcoming Act also helps them.
To feel safe, residents need to have a level of comfort where they can reach out to law enforcement, Mayor Garner said, if they fear the perception of crime, or if they are victimized by crime, without repercussions that would prevent them from receiving the level of services they need.
“We want our law enforcement apparatus in Wyandotte County to feel empowered,” he said. This ordinance encourages trust with law enforcement, he added.
Home rule in Kansas means that local communities can decide for themselves on local issues.
“I feel the (state) legislation that has been passed,” Mayor Garner said, “is politically driven and I want to make sure these political driven initiatives do not take place in Wyandotte County.”
He said he would ask Gov. Kelly to veto House Bill 2717, asking her to put people over politics.
In the online news conference from the Safe and Welcoming Coalition, several advocates appeared to support the governor’s veto of the legislative bill.
There was more than five years of discussion at the UG before the Safe and Welcoming ordinance was passed, according to advocates. There were extensive committee meetings, public hearings nad work with the UG legal department on the wording of the ordinance.
A Roeland Park City Council member, Michael Rebne, said over 200 residents of Roeland Park signed a petition for its Safe and Welcoming ordinance.
Where people live in the shadows, it is not a healthy community, he said. More than two years of discussion was held, with much research and community input, before this ordinance was passed in Roeland Park, he said.
The Rev. Rick Behrens, pastor of Grandview Park Presbyterian Church in Kansas City, Kansas, and a founding member of the Safe and Welcoming Coalition in Kansas City, Kansas, said for five years the coalition knocked on doors, worked with residents and the community to build the coalition.
He said House Bill 2717 would damage the relationship between law enforcement and communities across Kansas.
He said the House bill should be flipped, and encourage more communities to enact Safe and Welcoming legislation, that would make communities safer and more economically vibrant.
The legislative bill “damages the fabric of our community,” he said, hurting everyone and making them all less safe and less human.
Since Congress has been incapable of solving the immigration situatin for 30 years, KCK has chosen to be inclusive of those whom God has placed in their midst, Behrens said.
The news conference also heard from an immigration lawyer, representing the Missouri-Kansas Immigration Lawyers Association, who said the House bill would harm noncitizens and citizens in Kansas alike.
Ginevra Alberti said enforcement of immigration laws falls strictly under the purview of the federal government. When left to the federal government and not local government, members of the community feel safer to come out of the shadows, she said, and trust local law enforcement officers.
The House bill would erode trust and have a serious chilling effect on undocumented persons and families, she said. Some crimes may not be reported out of fear of being p icked up by immigration, particularly domestic violence cases. Also, people would be less likely to leave their homes, less likely to go shopping and to show up at parent-teacher conferences, she said.
She said federal immigration law is complicated and local police do not usually receive training in it. She cited federal laws and regulations with more than 1,000 pages. She questioned how far the state bill goes, including intrusion into the business operations of any business.
Marcus Winn, director of voter engagement at the organization More2, said the coalition was optimistic that the governor would veto the state legislative bill.
If the governor vetoes it, the coalition will move ahead with all strength to sustain the veto, he said.
Winn said an unexpected development of the legislative targeting of the movement in Wyandotte County has been overwhelming support received from around the state. Previously it was a local effort without a lot of contact from other communities, but now they are communicating, he said. The conversations need to continue, he added.
“I think you may have woken a sleeping giant, and there may be consequences for that,” Winn said.
Also involved in the news conference were the Cross-Border Network for Justice and Solidarity and the Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation.
Photo by Steve RupertNational Weather Service graphicWyandotte County is at an enhanced risk for severe storms on Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service. Residents are advised to follow the weather service warnings, which could be late at night. See www.weather.gov. (National Weather Service graphic)Wyandotte County is on the edge of a marginal risk area for severe weather on Wednesday morning. There is uncertainty about the timing and location of storms on Wednesday. (National Weather Service graphic)
Light rain and scattered showers were possible this morning, according to the National Weather Service forecast.
It will be cloudy through mid-morning in Wyandotte County, then gradually clearing, with a high near 67, the weather service said.
On Tuesday night, there will be a line of strong to severe thunderstorms capable of damaging wind gusts, large hail and the potential for isolated tornadoes, according to the weather service. The storms may arrive around 9 p.m. to midnight.
The weather service advised residents to have multiple ways to receive warning information to be alerted late at night if and when warnings are issued.
On Wednesday, there also is a chance of thunderstorms and severe storms capable of damaging winds and hail, according to the weather service. Wyandotte County may be at marginal risk. The timing and location are not exact at this time.
Today, look for cloudy skies through mid-morning, then gradually clearing, with a high near 67, the weather service said. An east northeast wind will be around 6 mph.
Tonight, there will be increasing clouds, with a low of 48, according to the weather service. An east southeast wind of 6 to 10 mph will gust as high as 20 mph.
Tuesday, there is a chance of sprinkles before 1 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 83 with a south wind of 10 to 15 mph increasing to 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon. Winds may gust as high as 36 mph.
Tuesday night, there is a 50 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms, mainly after 1 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 53 with a south wind of 14 to 21 mph, gusting as high as 33 mph. New rainfall amounts will be less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts are possible in thunderstorms.
Wednesday, there is a 30 percent chance of rain and storms before 1 p.m., with a high near 63, the weather service said. A southwest wind of 10 to 17 mph will become west northwest in the afternoon. Winds may gust as high as 25 mph. New rainfall amounts will be less than a tenth of an inch.
Wednesday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 35, according to the weather service.
Thursday, it will be sunny, with a high near 58, the weather service said.
Thursday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 37, according to the weather service.
Friday, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 65, the weather service said.
Friday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 42, according to the weather service.
Saturday, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 62, the weather service said.
Saturday night, there is 30 percent chance of precipitation, with a low of 44, according to the weather service.
Sunday, there is a 30 percent chance of rain, with a high near 60, the weather service said.
