6 April 2024
LAWRENCE (KSNT) – Police in Lawrence are investigating threatening notes left at the homes of three city leaders earlier this week.
The Lawrence Police Department (LPD) said in a press release that three Lawrence city leaders, Vice Mayor Mike Dever and Commissioners Brad Finkeldei and Lisa Larsen, were left threatening letters on their front porches on Tuesday, April 2. Each letter was found in a paper bad with a brick inside following a commission meeting. Each note had the same message:
“We know you are violating your own law to displace and kill the homeless. We know that on April 15th you intend to change that law in order to cover up and justify your violations. We strongly advise you to end your abuses of the homeless, stop destroying their camps, and cease your plans to permanently displace and remove them from this city.”
LPD spokeswoman Laura McCabe says officers responded to each report of the messages being found. The letters are being examined by police along with other materials found at the city leader’s homes. A person of interest was identified and released with a trespass warning for all city commissioner’s homes.
“We simply have enough division on the streets,” said LPD Chief Rich Lockhart. “There is no room for turning political differences into a potentially criminal act. There is a forum to voice your political beliefs and disrupting the feeling of safety and security of our leaders’ families does nothing to unite our community or advance any cause.”
“As City Commissioners, we condemn the recent harassment tactics targeting our colleagues, as they do not align with the values of civil discourse and mutual respect in our community,” said Lawrence Mayor Bart Littlejohn. “Such actions are counterproductive and will not be tolerated as we work together to address homelessness and ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all.”
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