Wild street racing and surging crime have turned a once-bustling downtown Kansas City, Missouri, neighborhood into a pit of Hell for residents and small business owners who say police presence in the neighborhood has vanished, according to a report.
The midwestern city’s nightlife-centric Crossroads neighborhood has been seemingly commandeered by road racers using suped-up cars, dirt bikes, and ATVs that take over entire intersections for out-of-control stunts at night, according to Fox 4.
“I feel as though this city is about as unsafe as it’s been since my family has been at 207 Southwest Boulevard and that’s 45 years this September,” David Lopez, general manager of Manny’s Mexican Restaurant in downtown KC, told Fox .
“This isn’t a race issue, this isn’t a political issue, this is a safety issue,” Lopez told the outlet, adding, “People are going to leave.”
To keep his staffers safe from the joyriders, the restaurateur told the outlet that he now sends waitresses, dishwashers, and other staff home at 8 p.m., which used to be the time of a dinner rush.
Other small business owners expressed frustration with the lack of police presence, which has emboldened the road ragers to continue to take over streets, the local station reported.
“It’s incredibly disappointing to witness the continued lack of police presence and response in our neighborhood,” Bradley Gilmore, owner of Lula’s Southern Cookhouse, told the outlet.
Gilmore further dished that he had directly contacted the Mayor Quinton Lucas after Hizzoner asked for feedback from downtown businesses — but never heard back, according to the report.
The Kansas City Police Department said they’re now increasing patrols in Crossroads and cracking down on illegal street racing, sideshows, and ATV activity, according to Fox.
One KCPD officer was sent to the hospital with serious head injuries after being hit by a rogue ATV while attempting to take its driver into custody last month, the Kansas City Star reported.
Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said it was “a miracle” that the officer was able to recover, according to the outlet.
The 27-year-old ATV driver, Kendall Coleman, was later arrested and charged with first-degree assault, armed criminal action, and aggravated fleeing a stop or detention, KSHB reported.
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