Home

Home

Westport Neighbors United-Unnoticed

Apparently most residents in the boundaries of Westport Neighbors United asked what has been accomplished; a lot of progress has goes unnoticed so here it is:

Westport Neighbors United gets calls as early as 3:00 a.m. asking him to take care of a problem, which he does.

The seventeen-hundred patron XO Club was a problem, the president and his family continuously patrolled the neighborhood nights the club was open, protecting property owners and residents, this went on for several years.

People were sent out and was able to bring on board someone such as Jeff Williams from Legal Aid, he too staying up on several weekends past 3:00 am with a borrowed video cam recording the havoc the XO Club was placing inside Westport Neighbors United neighborhood; Mr. Williams, Ms Jones and a few others stayed up with the President of Westport Neighbors United and his family and working hard on countless nights to record such events.

When the city pulled the plug on legal aid working with the neighborhoods, Mr. Williams was ordered to drop all neighborhood activities even though Legal Aid filed a suite in Jackson County Circuit Court on behalf of the plaintiffs which was the President of Westport Neighbors United and Ms Jones and four other neighborhood members.

Every Westport Neighbors United member, within the boundaries, was asked by legal aid to join the law suit, but only seven did so, two of those residents gave up and moved out of the area.

The President of Westport Neighbors United created the Three A.M. Coalition, made up of neighborhood association and just residents of KCMO, he was asked by the Three A.M. Coalition to tackle more issues than the large club issues, so he created Neighborhoods First just for that reason

The President of Westport Neighbors United was able to recruit, Mr. Johnson, Partner of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, Kansas City, Missouri law firm, according to 2005 Better Business Journal, he was voted by his peers in the legal profession as the best attorney in Kansas City, he came on board because of the determination of the President of Westport Neighbors United, no one else, he has become a good personal friend of not only the President of Westport Neighbors United and his family, but the other plaintiffs of the law suite, Mr. Johnson is still working to keep the club closed and not allow to reopen.

The President of Westport Neighbors United and his strategy and his ability to organize, carried a plan to defeat Tom's Town, which would have been the largest 3:00 am club in the Westport area, this plan would have combined existing business locations such as the Corner Restaurant, Computers to Go, and the Westport Flooring building into Westport's largest dance club.

When Dave's Stage Coach tried to go to 3:00 am the President of Westport Neighbors United was again able to shut this attempt down as well.

When complaints came in on Labor Ready's attempt to move into the building located at 39^th and Wyandotte, the President of Westport Neighbors United asked Old Hyde Park Historical District Association to join in with trying to get the denial, Westport Neighbors United failed, Labor Ready was able to open, the fight continues, at this time January 26, 2007 Labor Ready is still in court on appeal to stay open.

With the President of Westport Neighbors United having attended countless meeting with Board of Zoning Adjustment, BZA over the closing of Labor Ready location in our neighborhood because of drug sales

Westport Neighbors United has been working endlessly with Major El, Major Zimmerman, Major Barlow, and now with Major Majors on drug sales in Westport Neighbors United neighborhood, with more patrols being added on.

Westport Neighbors United was able to take a hostile Westport Merchants Association, ran at time by a million dollar club owner; and turn Westport Merchants Association association into an ally, now working to help protect Westport Neighbors United association and neighborhood from hostile takeovers.

Broadway Westport Council, they too are now Westport Neighbors United’s ally and if anyone attended the last meeting, the Director was very out spoken about not allowing the club to reopen.

The President of Westport Neighbors United earned a good working relationship with Beverly and Tom Platt on neighborhood issues, these two people are the largest land owners in the boundaries of Westport Neighbors United.

Westport Neighbors United took a once hostile American Ingredients that worked against Westport Neighbors United and was on the side of the XO Club, granting them 55 parking spaces, the President of Westport Neighbors United and Mr. Johnson Westport Neighbors United’s attorney was able to convince American Ingredients, now called Caravan Ingredients to work on Westport Neighbors United’s behalf in keeping Westport Neighbors United neighborhood a neighborhood, and stopping any clubs from going back into 3954 central, Kansas City, Missouri 64111.

The President Westport Neighbors United has turned into an Activist/Community Leader, he is known by his first name by Mayor Barnes, the City Manager, the Deputy Police of Chief, he has had a good working relationship with every commander at Central

Division, Westport Neighbors United’s police division since the neighborhood association was created, and created by the President of Westport Neighbors United in 1998.

Westport Neighbors United has a good relationship with every department head at KCMO City Hall, all working on his behalf, which is the behalf of Westport Neighbors United and other community issues.

Westport Neighbors United is well known and have people such as Judy Hadley, the Manager of Regulated Industry and her boss, Les Washington, Director of Neighborhood and Community Services, working on his behalf.

Mr. Washington, Director of Neighborhood and Community Services Department located at KCMO City Hall, he too is a good friend with the President of Westport Neighbors United, he too has worked endlessly on the Westport Neighbors United and the Presidents behalf

The President of Westport Neighbors United has for several years now, worked with all six KCMO city council members, past and present, both district and at large on not only neighborhood issues but city issues as well.

Because of The President Westport Neighbors United knowledge and aggressiveness, he has been asked by several city council members, Deputy Chief of Police, City Directors and other neighborhood associations to take on several community issues, even to write a downtown plan for a mid-town shopping district with cable cars.

On another occasion, Loma Vista Hardware store and Westport Shoe Repair located in Westport Neighbors United boundaries was broken into on the same night.

When Jonathan, owner of Westport Shoe Repair, a short time after he opened he found his store was broken into, the

President of Westport Neighbors United stopped in to see how he was doing, he said he had called the police and the police said it would be two to four hours before anyone could get there. Jonathan was discouraged, customers were trying to enter the building and he had to stop them.

The President of Westport Neighbors United made some phone calls, said a small business owners could not afford to stop customers from coming into their stores, the time lapse was going to hurt their business.

When the President of Westport Neighbors United saw Jonathan a few days later he said, the police showed up ten minutes later, Jonathan added, that the officer told him, you must know someone high up, I got the call came from the police of chief himself. Westport Shoe Repair was taken care of and fast.

The Candle Light vigil was organized by the President of Westport Neighbors United U, he enlisted the help of Rev Myers, both concocted the vigil idea, from that point on, the President of Westport Neighbors United organized the vigils and every time such a vigil was held.

40^th Street was a death hazard; the President of Westport Neighbors United received consent from property owners along 40^th Street and was able to turn part of 40^th Street into a one way street.

Our boundaries were black lined/blocked out by KCPL for new street lights, the President of Westport Neighbors United was able to get that order rescinded, Westport Neighbors United received new street lights.

Flood control from Walgreens Drug Store located at 39^th and Broadway, still working with city engineers on the on going problem. The President of Westport Neighbors United was able to receive help from Old Hyde Park Historical District on this same issue

The President of Westport Neighbors United was able to convince Parks and Recreation to plant more Trees in Westport Neighbors United ’s neighborhood

The President of Westport Neighbors United worked with the city to fight home owners trying to put in multiple units into their home to rent, forcing home owners to keep single family home units

The President of Westport Neighbors United worked with the Gang Division of the Police Department on related issues

The President of Westport Neighbors United Working with the police department on the growing graffiti problem

The President of Westport Neighbors United worked the city and KCPL on gangs claiming territory by stealing someone shoes and ting shoe strings together and throwing them over the power lines, the KCPL when called will remove the shoes.

When Kansas City, City Council Member, fourth district, James Rowland, he and Mayor Barnes tried to take away our United States and Missouri constitutional right to petition on two different occasions; The President of Westport Neighbors United filed a suite in Jackson County Circuit court to stop such an action. This action turned out not to be necessary, the voters shot down that attempt and the next attempt they tried to convince the voters, but again failed.

On two attempts, Mayor Barnes tried to pass a light rail bill, no one is against light rail, a light rail plan that works for everyone, not a land grab attempt. Someone sent the President of Westport Neighbors United a brown paper bag with information showing the light rail attempt was to take, at each light rail pickup point, 1,600 feet in a circular pattern and use it as a 353 land grab. Mayor Barnes tried this one on two different times.

To defeat the light rail plan, the President of Westport Neighbors United organized the neighborhood, each home owner and renter wrapped yellow tap around each home, only a few home did participate, 95%+ did, it turned out to be a big media event, Westport Neighbors United and Kansas City residents won, light rail land grab was defeated.

The President of Westport Neighbors United has been working on left hand turn lanes with turn arrows at 39^th and Main and 39^th and Broadway; as well as Westport Road and Main Street, Broadway Blvd. and Westport Road. This will happen sometime, he will not give up, and these are important turn lanes, because to these no turn lanes, traffic is heavy throughout our neighborhoods.

These are just a few items and issues Westport Neighbors United has done, more to come down the road.

James E. Grow, President

Global Youth Development,

Westport Neighbors United,

Citizens 4 Better Communities,

Neighborhoods First,