**Update** A week before this tragic incident on July 29, when 3-year-old baby Titus fell to his death from an eighth-floor window in an Independence apartment building, police had visited his home, communicated with his guardians, and made a referral to state child welfare officials, according to a police report. This new information brings additional context to the story, but does not refute the central fact that the parents had reported the broken window on multiple occasions, yet the landlord and property management company took no action, ultimately resulting in the child’s death.
INDEPENDENCE, MO – In a heart-wrenching, outraging tragedy, a 3-year-old Black toddler fell to his death from an 8th-floor window at Independence Towers after his parents had repeatedly asked their slumlord to fix the broken window.
To make matters worse, prosecutors have now charged the grieving parents with child endangerment, compounding their unimaginable loss with criminalization and incarceration.
The Real Culprit
The tragic incident at Independence Towers is the latest manifestation of violent neglect by slumlords like Parker Webb and FTW Investments.
For months, tenants have endured squalid living conditions, including cockroach infestations, pests, dysfunctional plumbing, a broken HVAC system, persistent rent hikes, and yes, unsecured windows.
Webb left the tenants without hot water for two weeks back in March, and despite the lethal and unprecedented heat conditions, he and the company have left tenants without central AC for the entire summer. Residents told KMBC that because of the lethal heat, many are forced to keep their windows open in an attempt to stay cool. In a KMBC investigation, “more than 110 windows [were] open at the complex with a heat index in the 100s.”
“We’re all pretty much sleeping in the living room when we can because it’s too hot in our bedrooms.” – Resident Elliot West
“It was a tragedy that could have been avoided…AC is not working in the building, so everybody all over the building has the windows open in one room or two rooms above their unit.” – A woman who lives on the fifth floor of the complex, who requested not to be identified
This past June, tenants from at least 27 units at Independence Towers were forced to find temporary housing after a fire broke out, also resulting from the slum, neglectful conditions.
“A court-appointed receiver, TriGild, is now responsible for the property after its previous owners FTW Investments reached an agreement after Fannie Mae sued, alleging the landlord failed to make repairs necessary to keep the apartments safe and habitable,” wrote KMBC.
Parents’ Requested Window to be Fixed Multiple Times to No Avail, Mother Feared A Child Might Fall
The parents of the deceased child had reported the broken window to management repeatedly, asking for it to be fixed for months.
The father even resorted to using a makeshift lock with a blue pole in a desperate attempt to secure the window, a task he should never have been forced to undertake. As they waited months for the window to be fixed, their requests were not acted upon, leading to the fatal incident.
KC Tenants, the city-wide tenant union, supports the Independence Towers Tenant Union, and issued a scathing statement about the tragedy. “Our hearts go out to the family, the neighbors, and everyone affected by this tragedy…Independence Towers is dangerous, and every tenant deserves better.” “For months tenants have organized to win basic fixes to their unsafe and unhealthy building.”
White Media Criminalizes & Plasters Mugshots of Black Parent Victims
Adding insult to injury, Kansas City’s largest TV stations—FOX4, KMBC, and KCTV—have plastered the mugshots of the grieving parents, Moses Lee Bass Jr. and Destiny Randle, across screens, portraying them as negligent and criminal.
This media narrative is a gross distortion of the truth, shifting the blame away from the real culprit: the slumlord and company who neglected their responsibilities and allowed these dangerous conditions to persist.
Gross Injustice As Prosecutor Makes Criminal Charges Against Parent-Victims
The charging documents, which attempt to paint a criminal picture of the parents, describe the apartment as having trash in and around the kitchen, “dirt on beds,” and “old diapers lying around.”
This, an allegedly “dirty” home, is the prosecutor’s primary justification for taking away all the children and locking the parents in cages, despite their repeated requests to fix the dangerous hazard in their home.
Instead of addressing the slumlord’s neglect, they are criminalizing the parents, punishing them for being poor and living in a home that was never properly maintained by the slumlord responsible.
KC Tenants rightly called out this injustice: “The charges need to be dropped and a proper investigation should occur, including context about the building itself.”
As Community Calls for Justice, Here’s How You Can Help
KC Tenants is collecting donations for the family, including size 3 and 4 diapers, Simulac Advance baby formula, kids juice and snacks. They also urge anyone who can to donate to the family’s GoFundMe. In it, the baby’s grandmother says “I need help to take care of them and to make funeral arrangements for our beloved Titus. Anything helps during this incredibly difficult time.”
This is a developing story.
