Black Lives Matter activists meet with Missouri governor

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gov. Mike Parson met with members of the Black Lives Matter movement from Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis on Thursday.

Members met with Parson to share ideas starting at 11 a.m. in the governor's office before moving to the Governor's Mansion for lunch.

Justice Horn, co-president of Black Lives Matter in Kansas City, said he wanted to start the meeting expressing the desire to have local control over their police department.

The activists are among those taking to the streets calling for policing reforms after George Floyd died with a police officer's knee on his neck in Minneapolis.

Parson has criticized the officer's actions and said Floyd should not have died.

Joileeah Worley, a member of the Black Kansas City Family, said her goals were to review any policy she felt Parson may have missed or looked over.

Worley said Parson was attempting to remain unbiased on the issues that were presented, however, he left the communities in Kansas City with a promise to be in the city, helping as much as he can.

Parson later talked about the meeting after his daily COVID-19 briefing in the Capitol. He said the meeting was a starting point for discussions.

Parson said he and the activists would never agree on certain issues, such as calls to defund police departments, but the conversations will continue.