Mixed reaction: Voters renew tax to fund city jail

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The $250 million facility will house individuals convicted of assault, theft, domestic violence, and other crimes while also providing on-site rehabilitation services.

Councilman Crispin Rea is one of many in the city council who really pushed for the public safety tax renewal. He believes that while this jail isn’t going to prevent all crime, it’ll help.

“We know that we cannot arrest our way out of some of these issues, such as drug abuse and homelessness,” Rea said. “But we also know that we cannot have an inadequate detention strategy, which is what we have had for far too long. We have to find a good balance. We’ve invested pretty heavily in alternatives to incarceration, but we still have to have detention as a last resort for folks who will not accept help.”

Rea hopes to break ground on the new jail sometime next year. Meanwhile, some who live in high-crime areas believe there need to be more resources upfront so that people don’t end up in jail in the first place.

“The building of the jail is not the answer for me,” said Nella McFadden, the pantry director at True Faith Outreach Ministries off East 27th St. “I would think we need more mentorship programs where these people can get some help.”

For decades, McFadden has seen it all: crime, drugs, homelessness, and people who just need a shoulder to cry on.

“I see a lot of crime, but that crime can be eliminated if we just work with them,” McFadden said.

She believes taxes should go towards helping people change their lives so they don’t end up in jail.

“Once they get into the jails, the crime is committed,” McFadden said. “We’re trying to prevent crime, not make a big facility for them to get in there and be rehabilitated then. We can prevent that.”

But she’s happy to see the city addressing the issue and believes it’ll take all of us to really put an end to the violence.

“It took a village to raise us, and we need to get that village back amongst one another and help each other,” McFadden said. “Let’s not frown on each other, let’s look at each other, let’s love on each other, let’s get back to where it started.”

The money from the tax will also go towards improving 911 hold times and providing infrastructure and tech updates to police stations across the metro.

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