RESOLUTION NO. 240471
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Sponsor: Councilmember Nathan Willett
RESOLUTION - Offering a formal apology to Harrison Butker from the City of Kansas City and recognizing that Kansas City is a welcoming city to people of all faiths.
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WHEREAS, on Saturday, May 11, 2024, Mr. Butker gave the commencement address to Benedictine College’s Class of 2024. Benedictine is a small private catholic school in Kansas where Mr. Butker in his personal time aimed his speech toward a specific intended audience. His speech touched on his personal and religious beliefs, encouraging students to be empowered by their Catholic faith; and
WHEREAS, the City of Kansas City’s official social media account on X posted on May 15th responded to Mr. Butker’s speech by mocking him by stating, “Just a reminder that Harrison Butker lives in the City of ___________.” ; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Butker may not live in our city but is a taxpayer and a role model that many in our community look up to, including our children; and
WHEREAS, the Council recognizes it is not the role of the City of Kansas City government to display taxpayer’s private personal information on City social media and to mock individual(s) for their personal religious beliefs; and
WHEREAS, the City of Kansas City official social media account spelled the word “Apologize” incorrectly and only took responsibility for sharing the tweet in error, not taking responsibility for the harm caused to Mr. Butker by encouraging people to look up where he lives and the message it sent to people who share the same perspective on faith; and
WHEREAS, this Resolution recognizes the harm of mocking people for their personal religious beliefs and the Council goes on record to say people of all faith backgrounds and perspectives are welcomed in Kansas City; and
WHEREAS, the City Council wants to thank Mr. Butker for his many contributions to the greater Kansas City community both on and off the field; NOW, THEREFORE;
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSASCITY:
That the City Council offers Harrison Butker a formal apology through this Resolution and recognizes that Kansas City is a welcoming place to people of all faiths.
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