KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With a sea of Black elders, neighborhood presidents, pastors, tenant organizers and young freedom-fighters packed shoulder-to-shoulder in Council chambers, yesterday’s meeting shifted from routine agenda to people’s tribunal in under five minutes.
Urban Summit leaders refused to give the gavel back until the City ponied up the $750,000 it had promised—but never delivered—to keep the city-owned, community lifeline grocery store Sun Fresh at 31st & Prospect alive.
“You’re a duplicitous liar!” Gwen Grant, President & CEO of the Urban League thundered, pointing straight at Mayor Quinton Lucas from across the city council chamber. Dozens of community and faith leaders flanked her knodding and vocally acknowledging their agreement and anger.
Before the end of the day—after chants and procedural stall-outs—the Council voted 12-0 to pass an emergency ordinance releasing the full $750K immediately and waiving red tape that had blocked the funds.
Why This Store Matters
Sunfresh shopping center is an anchor of the Linwood Shopping Center. Community leaders with the Urban Council told me if the community loses the grocer, every other storefront in the area faces imminent collapse. Sunfresh is also the only full-service supermarket for miles. Without it, thousands of Black residents are plunged back into a food desert overnight. And finally, the city owns the property.
Community Builders KC, the Black-led organization that operates the store, bled $1.3 million in 2024 alone—driven by theft and chronic city neglect.
“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor political, nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right,” Diane Charity, community leader and co-founder of KC Tenants previously noted. “I’m supporting the SunFresh because it is the right thing to do.”
Marquita Taylor, president of the Santa Fe Area Council and widely known community advocate, also previously spoke passionately on the crisis. “We cannot lose healthy foods in our community,” Taylor told Community Voices. “We’re trying to live like everybody else. Please open up, allow them to get what they need, but also work on our little community.”
A Timeline of Broken Promises
| Date | City Hall Move | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 25 2025 | Council okays $611,500 “lifeline” (rent relief + claims). | Money stuck in legal limbo. |
| May 8 2025 | Urban Summit & allies shut down Council; demand cash on the spot. | Council unanimously releases $750,000 and suspends three-year operating rule. |
| Next | Community vows to hold City accountable for: • Annual $1.8 M subsidy • Full lot repaving & security upgrades | The fight continues. |
“If you can subsidize Power & Light and downtown condos, you can subsidize your own grocery store in the Black East Side.” — Bishop Tindall, Founder of the Urban Council
Read A Statement From the Urban Summit Below;
I want to express my deepest gratitude to our Founder, Bishop James Tindall, and each and every one of you who showed up to support our direct action at City Hall to save the Sun Fresh grocery store at 31st & Prospect. Your presence in the City Council chambers was powerful. And your voices made the difference.
Because of our united effort, the City Council unanimously passed the ordinance to deliver the $750,000 in funding promised to Community Builders KC to sustain Sun Fresh operations. This victory belongs to the people.
Special thanks to the neighborhood leaders and community champions who stood tall with us:
Marquita Brockman Taylor (Santa Fe) Pat Clarke (Oak Park), Diane Charity (KC Tenants), the East 23rd Street PAC, Dr. Vernon Howard (SCLC) Rev. Tex Sample, Bishop Eric Morrison, Rev. John Modest Miles, Celestine Williams (Urban Summit Executive Director), James Tindall IV, Amaia Cook (Decarcerate KC), Ryan Sorrell (The KC Defender), Gayle Hill Suber, Adrianna Rentie (Sun Fresh,) Kiki Curls, (CBKC-Board of Directors), Linda Crump, Jordan Milan, Larry Wilkins, and Charles Davis, and several others.
Your leadership, your passion, and your unshakable commitment to the community were felt and seen.
I also want to give a heartfelt salute to Councilwoman Melissa Robinson. Her tenacious advocacy and stellar leadership were instrumental in drafting and advancing this ordinance. She carried the weight of this fight with grace, determination, and grit. Our collective presence was vital to supporting her as she stood on the frontlines.
While we celebrate this important step, let us be clear: our work is not done.
The Urban Summit’s Prospect Corridor Public Safety Task Force will continue to press forward until:
- The City of KCMO disburses the $750,000 without further delay.
- The City appropriates at least $1.8 million annually to subsidize operations at Sun Fresh.
- The City fulfills its responsibility to address the crime, loitering, and blight at 31st & Prospect.
- The property manager, CDC-KC, repaves the parking lot, enhances landscaping, and installs the fencing to restore dignity and safety to this critical corridor.
We’ve made progress—but the struggle for equity, access, and accountability continues.
Thank you again for standing in the gap. The fight for the heart of our community is far from over—but with your continued support, we will win.
This is a developing story. The Defender will continue to follow food and survival issues directly from the ground.
