Cori Bush, the St. Louis Democratic candidate for Congress, didn’t mince her words at a protest for justice for Breonna Taylor held in front of Kansas City City Hall Thursday evening.  

Bush, who was actively leading protests in 2014, following Michael Brown’s murder by a Ferguson police officer, encouraged the nearly 50, mostly white protestors to keep showing up. But she also questioned some protestors’ motivations, saying she has seen a lot of social media activists, who may be showing up to build their own public image.

“I don’t care about seeing my name in lights, or my name in an article, or being on anybody’s television. I don’t care that people know my name and you shouldn’t care that people know yours,” Bush said. “Do it because someone’s life depends on it.”

Asking protestors to look around at the people of color in the crowd, Bush said, “Someone could go missing tomorrow. Then could you say you did everything to save Black lives?” She said that should be protesters’ motivation for putting their feet to the ground and getting involved, not the limelight.

After George Floyd’s murder in June, KC saw hundreds of protestors take the streets demanding justice and police reform at KCPD. Since then, the numbers of protestors taking the streets have certainly dwindled.

Stacy Shaw, a local lawyer and activist also spoke at the protest and acknowledged the commitment of the protestors who were consistently active, even when it was no longer “popular.”

“Every one of you have something amazing to bring to this movement,” Bush said to the crowd of protestors, asking them to even step it up a notch. “If we put our power together, then together we can be more powerful.”