everyone.

Welcome once again to another edition of There's Just Something About Kansas City.

I'm not going to have to introduce anyone who has been in Kansas City for any amount of time.

So the young man is sitting across from me, the one and only Alvin Brooks.

Alvin, welcome and thank you so much for for joining us.

You're an icon, a legend.

I mean, you're a hero to the underserved here in Kansas City.

And you've been doing it for your entire life.

And I just think that's incredible.

Frank, thank you for the invitation.

Good being with you.

Good seeing you again.

Yeah.

When I thought we're going to talk about baseball, a baseball, basketball.

But which I know nothing about except watching it.

I'm a lover of those sports, but other than that, it's good to be here.

you have an amazing story.

Of course you have a memoir.

A book called Binding Us Together.

Yes, is one of them.

And then, of course, Kevin Willmott, the Academy Award winning documentary Korean with your the, the Heroic True Life Adventures of Alvin Brooks.

Oh, yes.

Sounds good, sounds good.

Science guy.

Me next.

I'm in this I, I how did you come up with that title?

And he said well because he, he reviewed my book.

It was released in January of 2021 and he reviewed it.

And then in 2023, we were on a, on a, annual, not an annual, but a nationwide hookup.

And at the end, he said, everybody only I read the book and he said, Mr. Brooks, you know, I think I'd like to do a documentary on your book.

I said, hey, let's go for it.

I said, I know I'd like to raise some money is yeah.

So he put together but, you know, raising money and here we are.

Yeah.

Just and he's the, you know, he's out of Kansas.

Yeah.

So he knew about you.

But I don't think anybody is even.

I mean I've been here since 1981 and I'm one of those people that when I got here, I had no intention to stay.

I in fact, I was sort of afraid.

I didn't know, can't say was typical Missouri or Kansas.

I wasn't sure what side the river can't see.

Then somebody goes, well, it's on both sides of the river.

That's right.

Yes it is.

And, so but once you get here, it sort of gets in your soul.

And you, you're circumstances about how you got here is just incredible.

I know your birth mom was only 14 years old.

Yes.

When she got pregnant with you.

And you were in a rural area of North Little Rock, Arkansas.

Right?

It being 14 and pregnant and being black was not, you know, it's not something that, that you really, really wanted to deal with at that point.

Talk a little bit about, you know, that situation for you.

Well, my, my, my mom, but I'm saying Gilder, as her maiden name, got pregnant in Miami, Florida, by my father, William R herring.

He was 17, and at that time she was living with a great aunt.

But the home base with my was, Memphis, Tennessee.

My dad, my father, my mother, Memphis, Tennessee.

Tennessee.

But she was there with a great aunt in Miami, got pregnant, and of course, was sent to live with, her elder sister, who lived in North Little Rock, Arkansas, Alaska County, right across the street from there.

The road not straight, but the road from the Brooks's.

It question is still Brooks, right.

And the her her brother in law who and my uncle, didn't go for having a teenager pregnant in his home.

Right.

And began to complain about it.

And so the Brooks is there, right across the road in the city of Brooks.

And my aunt asked them if my mother could stay there until I was born.

And that happened when my mother wanted to go back to Memphis to finish high school and left me with the Brooks.

It and the rest is kind of history.

Yeah.

Yeah, right.

They, adopted me and, and, and and of course, I didn't know anything about my biological parents until till, I was 22 years old, I 54, I, I, I was in police academy.

Yeah, your activism, you know, you went through you know, we talked about the, Martin Luther King situation.

You were the Quincy Public School District student, parent relations at that point.

Yeah.

The ad hoc group Against Crime.

that's the that's what brought the president and Bill Bennett to kids.

Right.

And it's still active today.

Yes.

I mean, this isn't something you just stepped there from, say, hey, let's put this together and boom and and walk away.

You are totally involved all the time.

And I remember when I, when I got here, I got here in 1981.

You can correct me and I your memory is just incredible.

But you were on the radio at night, I think between year six and 7 or 7 and 8:00 at night.

I don't know if was on, 1 or 3 jam events on the black on radio station.

Right.

It's on hard rock gets harder.

Rock hard.

Both.

Hey, I'm going to have him.

Right.

the the am was the, gospel side.

Yes.

And they have him one of 3.3 was, rhythm and blues.

Right.

And, so the owners at that time, Skip and Willie Carter, then they skip and they really.

Carter they started the station and, then 1977, when they had this ten women, we kill one.

I'm white.

All right, ladies, are you all prostitute and it was the same time the Son of Sam was on the East coast and new Jersey and the, killing people and a killing prostitute.

And so the black thought that was the same thing happening here in Kansas City.

So they thought he, the police, were doing the or John's kind of.

And it was neither they the drug dealers and Al Lomax, it was a sergeant.

And to investigate this unit and I I'm now very close and sort of my protege and, we got together, went over the case and it went down.

So that's, that's how the guy in our group Against Crime got started.

1977, November 30th.

Right.

But you were on radio.

You'd had you'd have a calling show for parents or you had or anybody else in trouble.

Right.

When we had a talk show.

Yeah.

but at the same time, they allowed me to be anyplace on the there when the young girl was snatched, she was about the third child was snatched by a fella.

And I can't think of his name right now because he.

He was fat.

He was very charged.

and they called me and said, hey, we got a missing girl and her brother.

He was snatched at 30, 26 and chestnut from her brother's.

And on the way to school and, they, they knew who he had a description of it.

And so, they called me and there was, it was, they stay forget what they call it.

Down at 28th and Prospect and Park, they police with is a term they use it were all there.

And I went there and they said the child's name and is in this kind of car.

So I went on there.

See, Albert Park has my favorite sentence in this kind of day.

And I was driving around to see broadcast on, on the radio.

And this fella had her in the car going up State Street in Kansas City, Kansas, and he said, he's calling my name.

He's call my name.

So he pulled out of the car.

Somebody found him, and then they found out who he was because he had the license and and everything.

He was picked up by the State patrol in Illinois on the wrong way.

up.

excess weight and arrested him.

And so good.

I went to court on him and in, and the magistrate court and in the federal court, and he, pretty guilty, Robert Morrison was the one who's now senior and, incentive status was a judge.

And they showed pictures of her body on the screen.

I testified, you know, this year when I was on the air and with him, he he he plead guilty.

It was about 4 or 5 months after that.

His mother was in court when when he played, she harassed me for 3 or 4 months.

You you you dig a hole for somebody, you an entity to step on again.

And she's an evangelist.

Oh, God.

By and by he arrest me about her.

And she was in court when he pleaded guilty.

I didn't framing.

Yeah, right.

It was a guilty.

But, that's when and I did this I will, a New Year's Eve.

rallies, a vigils for everyone who lost a loved one.

Then we had a 2011 prospect, the mock cemetery, and I had I had a casket there and and how we had a casket, and I had a mirror.

And we bring young, young, black male and say, let's look at where they grew up and what they looked into.

The I looked right at you.

I was kind of kind of reckoning, but we well, you know what?

It's almost like those old shows are scared straight.

You know, you put your kids in a day of with you.

Yeah.

With prisoners.

And tell them exactly what's going to happen to if they end up in here, which probably scared a lot of them straight.

I'll bet that scared a lot of you straight.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

You've been activist this whole time.

And I know back we're going to go just touch on this because it it still resonates today.

After the riots, after Martin Luther King's assassination and Quincy Public Schools did not shut down for his funeral, but they had shut down for Kennedy and the whole thing.

So, you have the riots or six people were killed, 20 hospitalized, city was torched.

There's no grand jury, no nothing.

They come out with a report.

And that report was 50 years ago.

And, you know, it really not.

I was not that much in 1968.

Was commissioned by I gave the mayor is a blue ribbon report and one black member, doctor.

what is I know he was a psychiatrist.

He was a member.

but the report was not really complete.

it mentioned the six black men who were killed, a former killed at, 30th in prospect.

I knew those four.

I knew four of the six and actually five.

The second one was the first one was killed Tuesday night at eight and 19.

The van still stealing from the liquor store, right.

But, no.

And then the report indicated that the reason no indictments and because they couldn't identify who shot the, the six, the six people with National Guard or the police or or the State Patrol.

But that's what you find out if you have a grand jury.

Yeah.

That's why you find out who did what, and you put some people in and call them in.

And.

Yeah, but we have never happened, you know.

Yeah, we're we're I know you're still active.

Your phone is still you answer your phone 24 seven.

you know, and you're still extremely, involved in all.

And I try not to be.

Am I trying not to be frank, but, in fact, a young man was killed, last week.

His cousin call me kill that fit within a day away.

And and I said, you know, I, my condolences, but you have to call it hot.

I'm, you know, but I get the call.

got a letter from a lady who's a bitch of Chillicothe at the Women's Institution institution.

And she want to know what can happen when she gets out.

So I still get it.

And.

And that is many.

And, but, it it makes you feel good when, when you're in and all this.

But three weeks ago and this lady with there and she said Mr. Brooks, you don't you won't remember me.

She said, but you saved my life.

She said I was a group of girls who were turning tricks and know just getting in, never done anything.

And you put my name over the radio and and did this and, and sent, Melissa Robinson, who was working as a city councilwoman, can see me there, to pick me up.

And she said, saved my life.

And I have, I have, I was I was at a fish place a couple weeks ago, well, about six weeks ago and fell and walked up to me.

He said, you don't remember me?

And he said, but, I was 15 years old and drunk.

And you was detective.

You pulled me over, took my keys and took me home.

Gave me and my mom 11 but I shouldn't have been driving at 15.

He.

You knew I was driving then and and another and said to me, and I just got out of prison this past weekend, my mama call you and I turn myself in to you.

I didn't, I did 27 years, I murder and I make you feel good.

Yeah, yeah.

So she they come out and say thank you.

Yeah, yeah.

You know, they're trying to get get in her life straight away.

Who I know you have every intention of reaching your 100th birthday.

I've heard you say that many times.

Yeah.

And so Mark May 3rd.

I've already got 1930, 19, let's say ten years.

We do it ten years.

Well, several years I'll be 100.

So in a way, seven years from May 3rd, whatever it is, it become a national holiday.

Yeah, we're we're definitely going to make an album books if they haven't already done it.

And like I said, a thousand points of life.

The Harry Truman Public Service Award, Kansas City, you've done so much for this community and have remained here.

Whose do you have?

Are there young?

Has the ad hoc committee going there?

Young people infusing this, or do you still having a battle trying to get people to not replace Alvin Brooks?

Because I don't think you're replaceable, but someone to come along or some people come along and take over your you're the young man that saved me is his name.

And Daniel, his, bright young man, ten years, I've been gone, 10 or 12.

And they're building a building, at 31st and then, the center for Healing and Justice and, damaged is taken ad hoc, a different direction.

And I'm like, and and I think it's and it's different than what ad hoc was.

so you won't here at 12:00 at night on gay bars, somebody saying, isn't it because I made all the homicide I was a homicide scene work.

I'm co-owner of, 39th in Warren.

We just had a homicide, and there it was.

And it was a green car with zero license.

It went west on 39th Street.

And this guy named, You're still being a detective.

I'm sorry.

You were still being a detective from when you did.

When you rode around and did all this.

Yeah.

No, no, I was no, no, I knew you were there, but I'm.

You were still using doing the work.

You're still doing the work.

And so I think, the community misses some that.

But I think at the same time, maybe it was due for a change and take it to a different level, and they can direction.

Yeah.

And finally, and I really appreciate your time.

And I know you're so you are so gracious where the time all the time no matter who asked is your thoughts about Kansas City as a whole?

I know you've been here basically your entire life and this is your basic home.

Yes.

And your thoughts about this city where we are and why you stayed.

And you know, everything else that you can think about as far as this town's concerned.

Well, I, my wife and I kind of made a decision that we we're going to this is what I think we're going to get carried out.

Can city and, can't say it's been good to me and I hope, in return and something to improve the, the lives and the status of of underserved people.

This is very people, poor people, regardless of race or religion, atmosphere, gender and all that.

And, and at the same time working in the broader community because I work both on the Kansas and as well as on Missouri side.

And I've been blessed, Frank, I have been blessed.

I mean, I'm a I'm a believer in the fact that there is a greater who's, who's who, creator of heaven and earth and everything there in the created crown, the fish, the sea, the foul there.

And then, according to the Torah, as well as the Bible, decided to make humankind.

And how in the likeness and image of the creator.

And so I believe, and I try to pass it on to my kids and my grandkids, but I think we've got about 74 descendants of Carol and Alvin Brooks while we are but good Catholics most of the time.

And but I so I tried to pass that on.

Yeah.

And I've tried to live there.

My late wife and I tried to live that and and everybody's our brother and sister, regardless of where they're who they are, and try to raise our kids that way and tell them again, like I was told, you know, better.

No worse than anybody else.

But you take the high road.

You you be the best that you can be and and believe that there is someone at any university that has control of every living creature, every living thing, the grass and everything.

Although Mother and Father nature has already been set up and God doesn't push a button and say it was going to snow, and Jackson kind of whatever it's already been said.

But I just think that that, that's the spirit that, I'll, I'll leave you with as I, you and my son, so many.

I see Kansas City as a great possibility, I don't think is as much as it can be.

sometimes I look at the politics that disturbed me, both city as well as county and state and national.

I think we're better than some of the things that we do and say, and.

But they bother me sometimes nobody calls.

Check.

And that really bothers me.

And that's what I tried to do.

If something was wrong, I tried to let it be known.

And, I willing to accept the criticism and and, you know, but, I feel good.

I was able to meet three, presidents, be at the white House or at the old administration building there.

They call it, where the vice president is.

But, so I've been very, very blessed, and I hope that I pass that blessing by the way, I carry myself the things that say anything that do that people that, that that something is different about him.

That my race and my faith, that my gender, not where I live or anything like that, but just how I, greet people and meet people and work with people and, across the whole spectrum.

And that's what that's what life is all about, I believe.

Right?

You you're the real meaning of a human being, I guess.

Yeah, yeah.

And really, thank and pray for Pope Francis.

We have, because he brought a new dimension to Catholicism as well as Christianity, as well as to the world.

Right.

And, and and I hope and pray that his successor will be someone that will continue the kind of progressiveness that he said he would.

I think life is, is, is what it is, but it's what you make it.

And, who is our brother and our sisters keeper?

Is it is it I?

Oh, Lord, is it male or.

And we all have to answer.

We have to do a whole self analysis of of what we are.

And we got to put a checklist together.

How do I feel about these kind of things now if you don't know they're wrong then you'll accept them.

But I think human consciousness will say it's wrong to do the could use this way, to Muslims this way, or a Christian this way, or to blacks.

Native Americans are Hispanic speaking, whatever they may be.

And this, this world of 6 billion or so people, we only make about 5% of that.

But we have in this nation some of everybody's children.

Absolutely true.

But we don't act like it.

And we we we we are not.

You know, the lady that stands in the harbor saying, give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free and promised in the golden door, beckoning them to come get these temperatures.

That's I think folks forgotten about that.

And there are a couple of of groups I never saw that side of the, of the Statue of Liberty and was not beckoned to come to these temperatures and problems that go in and do it.

The indigenous people who lost their lives, who were here and who lost their great civilizations, and my ancestors, I'm a descendant of enslaved people, were brought to trial the land.

So you get free land and free labor.

You can get pretty rich, and then you denigrate those who made you that way.

And something's wrong with that.

And is there a human consciousness based on.

Their faith sometimes.

Right.

I wonder?

All those 500 plus people on the left that govern this nation, the Senate in the House.

Supreme court, I suspect that 80% of those considered themselves as being Christians.

What happens when you go to your congregation on a Sunday or Good Friday?

What do you think about when you go in and cast a vote to treat people less than human?

And please don't say we are a Christian nation.

That's an offense to God.

That's that's Al Brooks, that's Al Brooks.

There is a.

A poem that Langston Hughes wrote in 1964.

Langston says, I was a dream in a land with his back against the wall.

But my name and strangest dream is sometimes called that.

Those that claim this dream for theirs alone a sin.

We know they must atone.

Unless this dream is shared in common.

Like sunlight and like air.

This dream would die for lack of substance anywhere.

This dream.

No frontier town, no no class, no race.

But this room cannot be held in any one, not place.

But today this dream is bound with this back against the wall.

But to save the dream for one, it must be say for all.

Maxine Hughes, African-American poet, 1964.

That applies to today.

That's what, 36 over 50 years ago, 60 years ago when he wrote, but has so much meaning and they Doctor Benjamin Mays of that great black male institution called Morehouse, although it's not black all black male now.

That to me is wrote a nine man poem that I like to leave with you and your audience.

It's called gods a minute.

That to me says I've only just a minute.

60s in it.

It was forced upon me.

I didn't seek it, didn't choose it.

But it's up to me to use it.

I will suffer if I use it, if I misuse, give account, if I abuse it.

Yes, a town with many eternities in it.

And Frank, that's all life is.

That many becomes I, Alpha and Omega.

I begin an area and the question becomes to each one of us where the blood is any warm in our bodies, what will we do with the minute that we have each 62nd, we get a new lease on life.

We take advantage of it and be that brother and our sisters keeper.

Only each one of us can answer that question.

Alvin Brooks has lived every minute with that.

Oh, yes, every minute.

As far as I'm concerned, you're the patron saint of Kansas City.

They have admired you since I moved here.

And I just, just value the fact that you're here.

I could call you a friend.

Thank you.

Same.

God bless you.

God bless you, God.

And may we go to the lovely wife Sarah, I yeah, I we missed Taylor that, I won't say that she didn't come because I was coming on.

I know the definitely that that was not the reason she's singing it sometimes.

You know, she's using her minute as yesterday.

Absolutely is.

It wasn't yesterday.

God bless you and your family.

And thank you so much.

I thank God everyday I go down the street just thanking him all the time.

Yeah.

it's just that that's to be the spiritual center of one's life.

Yeah.

If you could have faith.

I don't care what it is.

You know where the question was.

And behind you is whatever it might be.

it ought to be the city, or you ought to try to live it.

because I'm not a, expert on on the Torah, the Koran or the Bible, but I've read enough, each one of them, to know that they're all kind of the same way patron saint of Kansas City as far as I'm concerned.

Mr. Alvin Brooks, another reason why there's just something about Kansas City.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

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