White Jackson County prosecutor candidate called out for ‘Black-on-Black crime’ comments
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Comments made by a man running to become the next prosecutor in Jackson County about “Black-on-Black crime” came across as racist and were “cringe worthy,” his two opponents said.
Stephanie Burton, John Gromowsky and Melesa Johnson are vying for the Democratic nomination. Tracey Chappell is the lone Republican.
One of them will replace longtime Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, who was first elected to the position in 2012.
During a debate earlier this month hosted by South Kansas City Democrats, Gromowsky, who is white, attacked Johnson’s support for a model called transformative justice, which promotes accountability beyond traditional criminal justice avenues like incarceration, by referencing past comments she had made.
“When you’re talking about Black-on-Black crime and you say things like ‘Our community’s acting just like these white folks want us to,’ that’s transformative justice,” Gromowsky said. “As a member of the white community, I can tell you that we do not want Black-on-Black crime. It’s bad for the community as a whole.”
Some find the phrase “Black-on-Black crime” offensive, contending that it can contribute to a harmful stereotype and lead to policing and incarceration practices that disproportionately target Black people. It “is a simplistic and emotionally charged definition of urban violence that can be problematic when used by political commentators, politicians and police executives,” a report from Harvard and the National Institute of Justice said.
Gromowsky’s comments were in response to a speech Johnson made at a community event comprised of people of color.
“Nobody’s gonna save us,” Johnson, who is Black, told the crowd gathered at Swope Park shortly after announcing her candidacy. “And unfortunately, we have reached a point in our community where we are doing exactly what these white folks want us to do.”
In a phone call with The Star, Johnson said she “was having a conversation with the demographic that was there ... about hey, what we are doing to each other right now is a direct extension of the design of this country ... by us continuing to tear each other apart, we are adding to the narrative of the people that made these decisions to relegate us to certain parts of the city so that they could concentrate poverty.”
Of the homicide victims from 2023, 73% were Black, according to Kansas City Police Department data. Where homicide suspects were identified, 58% were Black.
Gromowsky acknowledged that there were historical reasons for some of Johnson’s comments, but said the goal of the prosecutor should be to raise everybody up.
“An idea that one part of the community wishes ill on another part of the community is a false narrative, and it’s certainly not something that the next prosecutor should be talking about,” he said. “It’s actually contrary to what the goals of the office would be, which is to make the community safe for everybody.”
“The next prosecutor should be willing, not only willing to, but reaching out to leaders in all communities to build a coalition that will allow for the expression of ideas, to allow for the exchange of information so that the priorities of the office can be set and executed.”
Johnson said the next prosecutor should be able to have “conversations in a culturally competent and sensitive way and actually have a credibility with the demographic most impacted by this issue.”
“I have a vantage point and a perspective that John Gromowsky will never have.”
In terms of transformative justice, Johnson said she supports alternatives to incarceration through specialty courts and that as prosecutor, she would create “an opportunity court.” People charged with nonviolent crimes who make less than $20,000 would be eligible.
Burton, who is Black, said Gromowsky’s comments at the forum came off as racist, though she doesn’t think he is racist.
In response to remarks made by both of her opponents at the debate, Burton said it’s not about being a white prosecutor or a Black prosecutor, but the Jackson County prosecutor.
She said the race issue was “polarizing.”
She added that transformative justice is a “dangerous precept” because she believes it takes into account the person who has caused harm, but leaves behind the victim.
