After years of watching their neighborhood become a battleground, residents of Kansas City’s Prospect corridor took their fight directly to the businesses they say profit from their community’s pain—and won their first victory.
Just two days after a confrontation at 35th and Prospect—including a press conference with officials and community members, followed by organizers taping off the BP gas station with crime scene tape later in the day—both the gas station and Big D’s Liquor store agreed to reduce their hours and increase security measures.
Direct Action Gets Results
After city officials and community leaders delivered speeches demanding accountability, Oak Park Neighborhood President Pat Clarke organized community members to surround the BP gas station’s perimeter with caution tape for 45 minutes.
“It’s been a crime scene up here for years,” Clarke told KSHB as demonstrators wearing shirts reading “No Peace. No Profit” sent a clear message to businesses: if you won’t help stop crime, you’ll feel it in your wallets.
Only one person bought gasoline during the 45-minute protest. Police arrived after the gas station called, but protesters had already removed the tape and continued community conversations.
“People don’t know how effective that 45 minutes was,” Clarke said.
The bold move came after a morning press conference where community leaders, backed by dozens of residents, marched directly into both businesses demanding accountability following a weekend that left six dead across Kansas City.
The Breaking Point
“Stop taking our dollars if you’re not going to invest in our safety,” said Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson, as tears welled in her eyes. “These tears are not a sign of weakness—they’re a sign of frustration.”
Johnson, who lives in and grew up in the area, said she heard the gunshots from her bedroom during the previous weekend’s violence. The intersection has claimed multiple lives, including Monique Smith, a mother of four who died June 14 after being shot at the gas station.
The daily reality of the corner according to residents:
- Up to 40 people gathering daily to drink, gamble and deal drugs
- Open-air drug sales and prostitution
- Children forced to navigate crowds of often-armed adults
- Seniors afraid to get off buses at the intersection
“These babies that are picking up trash every single day have to watch what I call ‘Club 35th and Prospect,'” Johnson said, referring to youth volunteers who clean the area. “Grown men sitting on milk cartons, gambling, smoking, doing drugs in the open air.”
Community Leaders Demand Action
Pat Clarke, president of the Oak Park Neighborhood Association, led the charge with personal conviction.
“I used to play in these same streets until I decided to grow up,” Clarke said. “Today is the day we decide we don’t put up with this no more.”
When confronted Monday, the BP station clerk told community leaders that hiring Kansas City police for security would cost too much. Big D’s Liquor store manager promised private security would arrive by July.
“He’s selling gas and everything else over there, but he can’t afford our safety,” Clarke said, challenging the business owner’s priorities.
Mayor Quinton Lucas backed the community’s demands with city enforcement power.
“If you are harboring criminal activity again and again, and if you have been cited by codes enforcement, if we need to, we will shut you down. Everyone in this city deserves safety.”
Immediate Results
The pressure worked. According to reports, Clarke met with both business owners Tuesday and secured concrete changes:
BP Gas Station:
- Ended 24-hour operations
- New hours: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Additional security measures planned by next week
Big D’s Liquor Store:
- Reduced late-night hours from 1:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. across all days
- Metro Security patrols starting July 1
- Stricter enforcement against loitering
“There’s no more hanging out. There’s no more crap games,” Clarke told KCTV. “Nothing on the side. The crates are gone.”
Broader Context of Disinvestment
The Prospect corridor’s struggles reflect decades of disinvestment in Kansas City’s Black neighborhoods. Bishop James Tindall of the Urban Summit pointed to the proliferation of liquor stores as a key problem.
“Wherever you see a liquor store, you’re gonna see some folk hanging out,” Tindall said. “And when you see some folk hanging out, you’re going to see some violence.”
Urban League President Gwen Grant called both businesses “a nuisance to our people” and demanded their complete removal, arguing the community needs “branch banking, schools, parks, services for our people—those things that are a true deterrence of crime.”
City’s Track Record
Lucas’s office referenced the city’s Public Safety Task Force, created after a 2023 mass shooting at 57th and Prospect killed three people at an unlicensed nightclub operating as an auto repair shop.
“The business was not closed until after nine people were shot and three killed,” the mayor’s statement read. “The City will not tolerate the same behavior again.”
What Comes Next
Community leaders aren’t declaring victory yet. Clarke acknowledged uncertainty about how long the changes will last but promised continued vigilance.
The demonstration’s success has energized organizers who spent months working through official channels with limited results. Grant emphasized the need for sustained pressure on elected officials.
“This is a feel-good moment, but tomorrow you all with the power to do something—do your job,” Grant said. “Do it with expediency. Do it with urgency.”
For a community that has endured years of violence and neglect, the confrontation proved that direct action can force change when traditional advocacy fails. The question now is whether these early victories will translate into lasting transformation.
“It’s a new day in Kansas City on 35th and Prospect,” Clarke said.
