JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC

The pace of news is fast and furious these days…

Let’s take a look at one negative and one positive. We’ll start with the negative because, of course, that’s what sells blogs and newspapers.

KC Police Chief Rick Smith

I knew this guy was a terrible chief — pays little attention to the East Side and goes out of his way to protect rogue officers on the force — but I didn’t know until today he was an idiot.

Unbelievably, Smith had accepted an invitation to be a guest of honor at a partisan political event — the Jackson County Republican Committee’s April 17 Reagan-Lincoln Day dinner.

Even more unbelievably, he was going to share the stage with disgraced former Gov. Eric Greitens and the looney McCloskeys of St. Louis. You remember them — the paranoid couple who, on June 28, waved guns at a group of protesters who entered a private street while on their way to the St. Louis mayor’s home. Here they are, Patricia and Mark, the Bonnie and Clyde of Missouri.

Smith had every intention of joining these goofballs — Greitens and the McCloskeys — until Mayor Quinton Lucas called him out Friday morning.

“Never in Kansas City have I seen our apolitical appointees—be it a police chief, city manager, or fire chief—engage as featured guests/speakers in partisan political events or causes. The reasons not to do so are numerous and apparent. I would hope this does not change,” Lucas said on Twitter.

A short time later, Smith pulled out, saying, “It is becoming apparent that my attendance at the event would be a distraction.”

It should have been apparent to him the moment he got the invitation.

But now we know how really bad this chief is, and maybe this will prompt Lucas, a member of the Board of Police Commissioners, to accept a longstanding challenge from Gwen Grant, president of the Urban League of Kansas City. She has urged Lucas to simply make a motion at a meeting of the Board of Police Commissioners to fire Smith.

She knows — and Lucas knows — it won’t pass because at least three of the five commissioners — all Republicans, of course — are firmly behind Lucas.

But Grant, in an effort to get Lucas to show some guts, has told him privately: “Just make the motion and see what happens.”

Do it, Lucas, do it.

Homeless camps

Gotta give Lucas credit on this one.

For weeks, scores of homeless people have set up camps on the south lawn of City Hall and green space at the intersection of Southwest Trafficway and Westport Road.

These camps are an eyesore, and there was talk at City Hall of clearing them out. It’s a very knotty problem, however, because these are the lowest people on the economic scale and rousting them out would look terrible.

But today, the City Council came up with what appears to be a strategic and smart move: It unanimously passed a measure to provide temporary housing for up to 500 people in hotel rooms.

Right away, apparently, homeless people can start arranging temporary housing in hotels for 90 days.

Lucas, who was involved in several days of discussion with leaders of the homeless coalition, said the 90-day period will allow time to work on two other goals: a land bank for permanent housing and employment opportunities.

James Shelby, leader of the homeless coalition, called the hotel proposal a good first step. “The rest,” he said, “is contingent on the City Council continuing to work with us and to create systemic policies and different stuff that affect our lives for the better. That’s all we’re looking for. We’re tired of being on the bottom of the totem pole. It’s time to treat everybody with the same respect and dignity.”

Bravo for Lucas and the City Council. Looks like Kansas City is not going to make national news by tearing down tents and shooing people off public property.