KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Kansas City leaders and police are pushing back after false social media posts alleged widespread violence and emergency system failures unfolded across the city on Halloween night.
Posts circulating widely across platforms over the weekend claimed at least 14 shootings, four house fires, 28 overdoses, and a total blackout of the city’s 911 dispatch system.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas addressed the claims during a Sunday night Facebook Live, calling the online post a “cocktail of misinformation” fueled by a growing appetite for pessimism.
“A disbelief sometimes in not just authorities, but this belief that everything is bad, right? Part of the way that negativity grows and festers is because people want to believe it,” Lucas said. “And I think what we need to do is before somebody says, ‘Ah, yeah, man, everything’s terrible, you know, 22 people got shot yesterday. We had seven people killed last night,’ which would have absolutely made the news... just kind of push back for a minute and say, is it always that bad?”
Lucas urged residents to practice restraint before amplifying unverified rumors online.
“I don’t want you to live in the same level of pessimism that I think too many of us do. And so that’s why we need to make sure we stay responsible on social media,” Lucas added. “I ask everybody, I implore you, this is a community. These are people. This is people wanting to be safe.”
KCPD officials initially pushed back on the claims Saturday,...
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Kansas City leaders and police are pushing back after false social media posts alleged widespread violence and emergency system failures unfolded across the city on Hallo...