- My good friend, Leon Dixon, one of the founders of the W.E.B.

DuBois Learning Center, has often quoted Coach Stan Wright, the first African-American track coach of a US national team.

"A relay race is lost or won "based upon how they pass the baton."

I am Carl Boyd, an urban educator since 1964.

I am honored to present this very special series, Passing the Baton.

In this series, we are highlighting the accomplishments of Kansas City history makers as they share their stories with this generation's baton takers.

Enjoy.

(slow music) - Pastor Miles, tell me how the 27th Street Prospect area in Kansas City has changed.

- At one time, 27th and Prospect was possibly the worst area in Kansas City.

In fact, there were times when I'd literally walk out of the church, I'd see people sitting around with drug needles in their arms, and I would say to them, would you please not do this?

And they would in return say to me, why don't you go back where you belong?

And I would say to them, I belong here with you.

There was a lot of abandoned buildings right there in the 27th and Prospect area.

And so, I said to our people, let's make a difference.

And that brought us up to buying so many of the buildings.

And that brought us up to the point where we could start developing it.

(slow music) Myself and one other person was assigned to find their spot for East Patrol when it closed on Van Brunt.

We suggested the present spot.

They accepted.

Now, in the beginning, they were only going to go to Park Street.

Mayor Funkhouser was the mayor at the time when we really started the project.

After he lost in the primary, Sly James was running, Mayor Sly James.

He came out to really look at that particular area to see what it was all about.

We were walking and we get down to 26th and Park, and I said to mayor, Mayor James, why would you leave this block here from Park to Brooklyn?

I actually see the church over there, it looks real good.

See Martin Luther King Village?

It looks real good.

And we are gonna leave this block, and if we leave this block, it's going to really disfigure the whole project.

And he says to me, we've already started the architectural drawing.

Maybe we've gone too far.

I says, well, all they have to do is slide the pin just a little farther west.

He looked at Troy, Troy was with us, Troy Holster, he was with us.

He said, Troy, you think we can do this?

And Troy says, I think we can.

Then they moved the pin a little further west and we were able to take out that block and make that beautiful, beautiful, beautiful for scenery.

And over at East Patrol now, we have such a, such a, such a awesome commander, Kari Thompson, and she's, oh, she's out in the community, and this is what it take, when we are giving our food on Wednesdays and Kari will come over and she'll walk every car shaking hands and telling 'em that I'm here for you, not bragging on the fact that she's the commander of East Patrol, but she says, what can I do for you, I'm here for you.

And not only that, but talking about the police being involved in the community, she says to me, sir pastor, that little person, that little homeless person you're talking about, they didn't have anywhere to go, they slept in the lobby of the police department last night and we just kind of cared for him.

This is great.

- That is progress.

- This is great.

This is what the community is all about.

I am so convinced that we must get really, really really involved with the police department.

Sure, there's some problems with the police department.

Sure.

There's also some problems with us, things that we need to do also.

I have the blessed privilege of probably last 20 years sharing a class during the police academy training.

And the class that I share is community relation, how to get along, how to interact with the police department, and how the police department interact with the community.

- With your church being directly across the street from the police department and you having done the work in the past and having those relationships, what are you saying to other ministers throughout the city that are seeing a spike in crime in that area to help improve those relationships?

- That I am grateful for the ministers of our city.

They have played such a awesome part.

They let me serve as president of the Minister's Union for a number of years and they would gather in with us to make a difference in Prospect and 27th Street, that so often we say the ministers in the churches are not doing this, but I come to express, the ministers, several of them that I know, really get involved in making a difference in the community and in the lives of people.

(slow music) If I go to bed at night thinking about how soon can I get up the next morning making a difference in the lives of families, to make families better, and to let families know that they can be productive and they can go forward positively in life.

(slow music)