Plaza Safety: Due to recent events, Country Club Plaza employees question the area’s safety

Country Club Plaza employees, including East parents, worry about the safety of the entertainment district following shootings on Aug. 25 and Sept. 2 on the Plaza.

Reckless street behavior, violent crimes, theft and vacant buildings contribute to the unsafe environment the Plaza has become, according to East parent and lawyer on the Northwest side of the Plaza Jared Rose.

Rose’s office building has been broken into twice in the 11 years he has worked there. Ten years ago a thief stole his computer and this summer a pack of cigars was stolen off of his co-worker’s desk.

“I’m like ‘What are you doing? You’re committing a felony just to take some cigars,’” Rose said. 

East mom and employee who works near the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain Lisa Rasmussen has experienced oddities in proximity to her workplace — including seeing naked men on the street and one of her co-workers having a piece of wood thrown at her face.

“I don’t feel like I see a lot of security officers or police officers,” Rasmussen said. “Hopefully, that’s something that’s getting ramped up because I don’t feel as safe as I did, and I’ve been working down there for 23 years.”

Plaza Security declined to comment on the safety conditions. 

On Aug. 25, an armed man came into JD Sports with the intent to shoplift. While leaving the store with stolen merchandise, a 17-year-old employee tried to stop him — the employee was shot and suffered from non-life-threatening injuries.

Eight days later on Sept. 2, a juvenile standing outside of Shake Shack was shot in the leg in a drive-by shooting. 

Kansas City, Missouri police officer Alayna Gonzalez believes these shootings are being highlighted in the media more than shootings in other areas because the Plaza is a popular tourist and family destination.

“[A lot of] people go there,” Gonzalez said. “The Ritz Carlton used to be there, baseball teams stay there. There’s all kinds of things that bring a majority of people into that area.”

The Spanish-styled shopping center has been a popular place for families and shopping since it opened in 1929, currently housing large businesses such as Urban Outfitters, Nike, Capitol Grille and over 150 other shops and restaurants. In an Instagram poll of 238 students, 80% said they enjoy going to the Plaza.

According to crimegrade.org, the West Plaza district received a “D,” on a scale of A-F, property crime as well as scoring in the 16th percentile for safety for an average U.S. neighborhood. The South Plaza district received a “F” for total crime and the property crime rate is 5% higher than the national average.

Gonzalez believes offenders are more likely to commit a felony without guaranteed jail time. And the KCMO Police Department doesn’t have a jail. In order to hold someone prosecuted in the area, they have to be sent to Johnson or Vernon County to be incarcerated. Most criminals are let out on bonds until their court date. 

The increase in crime is also closely associated with the increase in vacant businesses, according to Gonzalez. 

The Plaza was sold to Taubman Centers and The Macerich Company in early 2016 for $660 million, which contributed to the problem of vacant buildings. According to The Kansas City Star, the companies were in default on $295 million from the original loan taken out for the sale in May of this year. The companies’ debt caused the rent of businesses on the Plaza to increase, making it harder for businesses to stay there. 

“If you have no empty storefronts, and they were getting better revenue, [Plaza officials] could spend a little more on security,” Rose said.

Since 2020, the Plaza has lost many of its large corporations such as Victoria’s Secret and Foot Locker, along with Nordstrom which was planning to build a store in a three-acre lot on the west side of the Plaza — leaving a large hole in the shopping center. 

According to Gonzalez, the police department has taken measures to ensure the safety of the Plaza — off-duty officers on weekends, extra patrol units and security cameras watching every inch of the area — to ensure safety for all of the families who frequent it.

“Vacant businesses attract the wrong kind of attention because there’s not as many people that are coming down there for the right reasons,” Gonzalez said. “If you’re wanting to go do something that you’re not supposed to do, where are you going to go? You’re going to go where you don’t want to get caught.”