Kicking The Can Down The Road

Mayor Quinton Lucas is charged with the responsibility of putting together a 13 member commission to, in essence, study how best to move forward with reparations within Kansas City's Black citizens.

It is a great concept and will further the educational process in studying reparations. However, there should be concerns about yet another commission to study an issue in which nothing gets done in the end. How many commission reports are sitting on the shelves of various offices in City Hall?

In my 20 plus years at THE CALL I can think of at least 12 various commissions where little, if anything, has been implemented after the conclusion of their report. The information sits on the shelf until the next administration comes along and conducts the same type of study. Then their report is placed on the shelf next to the previous reports.

One of the constant commission studies that comes to mind is the study of crime/violent crime in Kansas City. Usually, a commission is put together around August or when the murder count is around 90. The commission makes a report after holding several public hearings and ultimately nothing is done.

Several years ago I took part in a commission study on what was the best way to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After holding hearings in every part of the City we presented the findings to the Mayor and nothing happened until the next administration who named a totally different street after Dr. King.

So, excuse me if I don't get excited about a commission or asking for feedback from the community that is not going to be implemented.

We all already know of the impact that racism, discrimination and slavery has had on Black people, Black businesses and the black community as a whole. Do something about it.