Platte County commissioner condemns know-your-rights event - Spectrum News

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Platte County Commissioner Scott Fricker is calling for the stoppage of a future immigration-related know-your-rights event at a local library.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Fricker labeled the March 4 meeting as anti-law enforcement advocacy while tagging multiple Republican and conservative-leaning groups, including Turning Point USA at Platte County High School. He shared the flyer for the event, which was put together by the Platte County Democratic Women's Club in conjunction with Platte County Democrats and Boots on the Ground Midwest.

The flyer initially featured a red X over the image of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. Fricker pointed it out to one commenter who asked him why he doesn't want people to know their rights.

"Didn't you see the big red X over the police officer?" Fricker rebuattaled. "This could incite people to violence against law enforcement."

Fricker’s post and this previous comment in particular caught the attention of Peter Coyne, the chairman of Platte County Democrats. Coyne joined the group in 2022 and became chair in 2024.

He told Spectrum News that he’s well aware of Fricker’s stances and principles.

“When I saw [the post], I honestly wasn't surprised,” Coyne said. “Commissioner Fricker, unfortunately, would rather play games with the news and try to make these splashing comments instead of focusing on issues that really affect Platte County citizens. He's just kind of flashy and likes the gotcha moments. And I think he thinks that this is a gotcha moment for us. I wasn't surprised, but it's disappointing to say the least.”

Coyne also took the opportunity to invite Fricker to the meeting.

“If Commissioner Fricker doesn't know what these events are like, he can come just as any other Platte County citizen to see what happens,” Coyne said.

Additionally, meeting organizers like Coyne say the event is only meant to be informative.

“I can assure you, it's not going to be people calling to fight the police because that's the furthest thing from what we want,” Coyne said. “Again, it's more along the lines of knowing your rights, and I don't want to call it de-escalation training, because I really don't think it's that. But it's so things don't get so hot.”

Meeting organizers have since removed the X from the flyer. Another commenter asked Fricker if he'd tolerate the meeting if the X was removed from the flyer.

"No. Libraries should be politics-free," Flicker replied. "Especially divisive politics like this."

He also argued that he has nothing to do with ICE or local law enforcement. However, Fricker says he has something to say about what happens in the Platte County library system.

The event is slated to take place at Green Hills Library Center, a branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library. When Spectrum News reached out for comment, MCPL officials told us they are allowing the meeting to take place inside, but are not affiliated with the groups involved.

"As a public space, we welcome all members of the community to utilize our resources and services, including our rooms, so long as they adhere to our Library Conduct and Room Reservation policies," a library spokesperson said.

Various groups are hosting know-your-rights events throughout the Kansas City metro, including Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation (AIRR) and El Centro. Alongside Boots on the Ground Midwest and the Platte County Democratic Women’s Club, Coyne and Platte County Democrats hope to offer guidance and support to those stressed by current events.

Coyne believes this is especially important after witnessing how federal immigration agency tactics have led to the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

"There's lots of confusion and a lot of fear in lots of communities across the country, especially after what happened in Minnesota,” Coyne said. “People just wanted questions answered. The new ICE recruits, I would not qualify them as law enforcement. The Missouri State Police or the State Highway Patrol and the POST commission are much more intense than what these new agents have gotten. And I think the Trump administration is more focused on getting people into the streets instead of being trained correctly.”

ICE’s application site can be found here. The agency’s physical fitness test requires enlistees to perform 32 sit-ups in one minute, 22 push-ups in one minute, a 220-yard sprint in 47.73 seconds or less and a 1.5-mile run in 14 minutes 25 seconds or less.

Meanwhile, ICE’s HSI Academy requires recruits to complete a basic training program to comply with their conditions of employment.

“If we're dealing as citizens with an untrained organization that is going around masked, following people on the streets, picking them up, shooting them for honestly no apparent reason, to the point that even the Trump administration is admitting that what happened with Mr. Pretti in Minneapolis a few weeks ago was a problem. Why would they be pulling out so many ICE agents if it wasn't?”