The Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office and Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department are joining with faith leaders in Wyandotte County to hold a series of events this weekend to connect with residents.
The events are aimed at facilitating a safer, stronger, and more unified community as part of the National Faith and Blue Weekend 2021, according to a police spokesman.
In 2020, National Faith and Blue Weekend was launched to address an urgent need for collaboration between law enforcement and residents, according to the spokesman. In its first year, National Faith and Blue Weekend facilitated 1,000 community-led activities in 43 states and the District of Columbia. This will be the first year for the event in Kansas City, Kansas.
“Friday night we will gather in front of City Hall and the Wyandotte County Courthouse at 6:30 p.m. for a prayer vigil,” said Harold Simmons, a member of the 8th Street Baptist Church and representative of the National Baptist Convention USA. “Brothers and sisters will gather from all denominations and races to give prayer for our police officers and for the weekend. We will come together to ease tensions between our police officers and our community, recognizing that we have some very good police officers and very good community people. We want them to get to know each other and respect each other.”
Faith and Blue Weekend in Kansas City, Kansas, starts with a child car seat safety check from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday afternoon at Centro Cristiano Agua Viva Church, 201 N. 7th St. The host is the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department Community Policing Unit.
That will be followed at 6:30 p.m. with a prayer service in front of City Hall and the courthouse, 710 N. 7th St.
On Saturday, local churches, law enforcement and other first responders will gather for a Faith and Blue Cruise through neighborhoods that will start at 18th and Parallel and end at the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department Midtown Patrol, 47th and State. A free and inspirational Faith and Blue Fair will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Midtown Patrol.
On Sunday, officers will be encouraged to wear their uniforms as they attend religious services in the community.
“The KCKPD values our long-standing relationship with faith-based organiztions here in KCK, because they are a vital and vibrant link to our residents,” KCK Police Chief Karl Oakman said. “We want the community to know that we aren’t simply uniting for this one weekend, we work closely throughout the year and will be expanding that by holding Faith and Blue events throughout the coming year to help us all build bridges and break biases.”
For more information, visit www.faithandblue.org.