Kansas City activists are demanding justice after disturbing video emerged of police violently arresting Daysheion Renee Ponds, a young Black woman, in the Power & Light District following the Chiefs’ AFC Championship win on January 28th.
The video shows officers tackling Ponds to the ground, though she claims she posed no threat at 5’2″ and under 150 pounds. Ponds alleges she was brutally beaten and called an “animal” while handcuffed. She says she suffered injuries including a concussion.
Gwen Grant, who is president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, called the video out as being “disturbing, to say the least.”
“On its face, this incident appears to be yet another failure of KCPD officers to respect the humanity of Black people,” Grant told KCUR. “I hope Chief (Stacey) Graves will put her money where her mouth is and get to work holding bad cops to account and changing the culture in the KCPD.”
The incident began after a dispute with a bartender over an unpaid drink. Bystander video shows officers pinning Ponds down as she screams for help. Police can be heard scolding the filming and justifying their actions.
Local groups like the Urban League have denounced the “excessive force” and called for accountability. Police claim they followed protocol but have launched an investigation given the public outcry.
The Kansas City Star reported that Daysheion Renee Ponds said she suffered a concussion, memory loss, a swollen eye and a bruised face after she was tackled to the ground by KCPD officers.
“I’m 5’2” and I’m under 150 pounds,” Ponds told the Star. “I was no threat, I couldn’t have hurt them in any way and the whole time that they were hitting on me and beating me. I was in handcuffs, so I couldn’t have done anything extreme to them.”
A bystander who caught the incident on cellphone video, was threatened by one of the officers.
“Get back or you’re going to jail. F—–g record all you want, I’m not playing this game,” says the officer.
Daysheion Ponds told the Star that she was never a threat and was traumatized by the incident.
“They did things to me that they didn’t have to and it definitely traumatized me. It’s something that I’ll never forget. It’s stuff that I stay up all night thinking about, said Ponds.
KCPD spokesman Capt. Jacob Becchina admits the arrest of Daysheion Ponds was “usual protocol” and pointed some blame at the bystander who was filming.
“The officer advises the person they are free to film but that they need to back up,” Becchina said. “Officers are well within their right to advise a citizen to cease their actions if they are creating an interference.”
Becchina told the publication that details of the arrest are, “not a public record at this time due to the ongoing investigation.”
The arrest adds to ongoing concerns about KCPD’s treatment of Black citizens, including ignoring missing women testimony and assaulting a transgender woman on camera in 2019. With pressure mounting, activists demand change from department leadership to address systemic issues.
The disturbing footage and Ponds’ account have sparked outrage in the community. Though police suggest standard procedures were followed, many see yet another instance of racial bias and abuse of power requiring justice.