‘How do you protect a Black kid?’ Protesters demand justice in shooting of Kansas City teenager

Anna Spoerre The Kansas City Star (TNS)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Like Ralph Yarl’s parents, Patience Gaye moved to the United States from Liberia to escape violence before starting a family.

That was years ago. But on Sunday, she marched alongside at least 200 people in Kansas City’s Northland at a peaceful protest in support of Ralph, a 16-year-old who was shot and critically wounded Thursday after he went to the wrong house to pick up his younger twin brothers, according to family.

Ralph is a junior at Staley High School. Friends said he’s talked of going to Stanford after he graduates.

Gaye, 33, a long-time family friend to Ralph’s parents, is pregnant with her first child, and filled with a new fear as she watches Ralph’s struggle to recover from his injuries.

“How do you protect a Black kid?” she asked. “… What are we supposed to do now? We left our countries because we don’t want to be killed. That’s why we left. They came to America for a better life. How is this a better life?”

Police Chief Stacey Graves said Sunday the police department is working to make sure the investigation moves as quickly as it can so the case can be presented to the Clay County prosecutor.

Police have not identified the person who shot Ralph.

‘A stellar human-being’

Meara Mitchell, a teacher of Ralph’s for several years, called his shooting “incomprehensible.”

She described him Sunday as a “stellar human-being” with a “quiet fortitude.”

Of her many students, Ralph’s work ethic and love and kindness for others makes him stand out. He’s dutiful to his family, she said, and he impressed her every day in his academics and his interactions with his peers.

“He is the utmost example of how you want a young man to carry himself in this world,” she added.

Nicole Bryan, 17, one of Ralph’s classmates and friends, said she met Ralph in seventh grade. They’re both in the band where he plays bass clarinet and she plays bassoon.

When they first met, he corrected her on her instrument, and helped her become better. He still pushes her to achieve her best, Nicole said.

She said Ralph has talked about studying chemical engineering in college. He’s a whiz at science and math, but his passion is music, Nicole said. He’s won numerous awards for his academics and his musicianship, she said.

“He’s brilliant,” she said.

‘Justice is the key’

Paul Yarl, Ralph’s father, is quiet like his son. He stood near the back of the long line of people chanting about love and justice as they stood in the street in front of the yard of the man who allegedly shot Ralph.

“I’m just here to show my gratitude for all the love and support,” said Yarl, who traveled to Kansas City from Indianapolis after the shooting.

So many people showed up Sunday because, Yarl said, what happened was obviously wrong.

Ralph was asked by a parent to pick up his brothers from an address on 115th Terrace, according to the family and a statement from the Kansas City Police Department. Instead he went to a residence in the 1100 block of 115th Street.

Family said a man at the house opened the door, saw Ralph and shot him in the head. When Ralph fell to the ground, family said the man shot him again.

Ralph got up and ran from the property, but he had to ask at three different homes before someone helped him, family added. Kansas City police officers said they responded to the area around 10 p.m.

Graves said Sunday that the homeowner who allegedly shot Ralph after the teen arrived at the wrong house was taken into custody Thursday and placed on a 24-hour hold.

In order to arrest someone, Graves said law enforcement needs a formal victim statement, forensic evidence and other information for a case file to be completed. Because of the teen’s injuries, Graves said police haven’t been able to get a victim statement yet.

Yarl said he hasn’t had the chance to talk to the prosecutor’s office, but he is hoping for answers soon.

“Justice is the key. I guess the same reason why most people are here. Justice. Peace. I’m with them. I don’t want anything special. I just want justice,” Yarl said.

In the meantime, the family remains focused on Ralph’s healing.

Ralph’s aunt, Faith Spoonmore, started a GoFundMe on Sunday to raise money for Ralph’s medical bills and other expenses.

“Even though he is doing well physically, he has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally,” she wrote on the online fundraiser before joining Sunday’s protest.

The family will be represented by Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney who represented families in several high-profile cases including Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, as well as Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.

They also will be represented by Lee Merritt, a Texas-based civil rights attorney who has previously represented the family of Cameron Lamb, who was fatally shot by KCPD detective Eric DeValkenaere in 2019.

‘Stay off my yard’

As protesters chanted and prayed in front of the home where Ralph was shot, some neighbors joined in the demonstration while others watched from their porches or lawn chairs.

“Get out of the yard,” someone shouted as the crowd swelled on the street in front of the home where the shooting happened. The road is public property; lawns are not.

“That over there is a lot of hate,” Spoonmore told Sunday’s crowd in response to the comment, before looking over those encircling her and saying: “This is a lot of love.”

Ralph was shot in the Northland, a name for the Kansas City neighborhoods north of the Missouri River whose voters tend to be more conservative than in other parts of the city limits.

Police have not identified the shooter or his race. They said they are still investigating whether the shooting was racially motivated.

Councilman Kevin O’Neill, District 1 at-large, joined the crowd at the protest Sunday. He was among many Northlanders there.

He said while he doesn’t yet know all the facts, the whole situation is still sad and seems like “poor judgment.”

“I hate that the Northland always seems to get labeled and this isn’t who the Northland is, and it’s very disappointing,” he said of the shooting.

He said the Northland is often seen as “a bastion of white.” But he said Sunday’s turnout, which included people from all ages, races and backgrounds, truly represents the increasing diversity of the Northland.

He said it’s filled with many cultures and religions.

“People look at things and just make their visions what they want to, but that’s not what it is. We’ve got some great people in the Northland.”

He noted that there appear to be cameras on the outside of the property, so he’s hoping there will eventually be definitive proof of what happened.

“And hopefully that comes back and there is justice for the family,” he said.

Robyn Tuwei, who uses the pronouns they/them, has lived just down the block from the shooting for a decade.

Up until recently, they felt it was a very safe neighborhood for their family to call home. But there have been changes. They’ve noticed the sound of more loud gunshots and firecrackers.

Tuwei’s spouse is Black and their children are mixed race. Recently, they’ve had M-80 fireworks thrown at their house, they said. They reported the incidents to police but they still don’t know who is throwing them or why.

“Lately, it’s not felt super welcoming, so I can’t say that I was surprised, but it is disheartening,” said Tuwei, who is a teacher in the local school district, as well as an equity advocate.

Since the “unfathomable” shooting, Tuwei and their spouse have already talked of changing the ways their children spend time outdoors. They often take walks as a family, but they will no longer be walking past the home where Ralph was shot. When their 13-year-old son wants to visit a friend on that street, they will be driving him, even though it’s only a brief walk.

“It’s not considered safe anymore for us,” Tuwei said. “Not until (the shooter is) in jail, behind bars.“

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