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Three city workers attacked at work in Independence

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Three attacks on city employees in Independence have prompted community leaders to look for solutions to ensure the safety of those employees. According to a statement from the city, a parks employee confronted dirt bikers who were illegally riding on the Rock Creek Trail near Rotary Park on Monday. The statement said one of the bikers head-butted the employee and the bikers drove over him twice. At the Independence City Council meeting Monday night, City Manager Zach Walker said the employee was taken to the emergency room where he received stitches. “Our city employees are actually people trying to get home to their families at night too. They’re just doing their jobs,” Walker said at the meeting. Additionally, the statement said a man blocked a vehicle carrying two community development employees at a construction site on Monday and verbally assaulted them. The two incidents on Monday came just weeks after a homeowner shot at an Independence Power and Light employee who was shutting off the power. Mayor Rory Rowland also spoke about the attacks on city employees at the council meeting. “We want to make sure we are respectful of them. We can of course disagree, but we can certainly do so in a polite and respectful manner,” he said. The City of Independence statement also said, “Each of these incidents gives us pause for thought; the safety and well-being of our city employees is our number one priority in every situation. We are having several in-depth, thorough internal discussions about changing our protocols to ensure the safety of our employees.” Clinton Forbes took his 6-year-old son to Rotary Park on Tuesday, near where the dirt biker incident occurred. “It’s horrific, it really is. We need to pray for healing. And we all need to pray for the same thing. That’s the only answer,” he said. Independence police are investigating all three recent incidents. They all occurred after bailiff Drexel Mack was shot in February while serving an eviction notice in Independence. Independence police officer Cody Allen was also killed while trying to help Mack, and two other officers were injured.

INDEPENDENCE, Missouri —

After three recent attacks on workers in the city of Independence, community leaders are looking for answers to ensure the safety of these employees.

According to a city statement, a park employee on Monday confronted dirt bikers who were riding illegally on the Rock Creek Trail near Rotary Park.

The statement said one of the bikers head-butted the employee and the bikers ran over him twice.

At the Independence City Council meeting Monday night, City Manager Zach Walker said the employee was taken to the emergency room where he received stitches.

“Our city employees are actually people who are trying to get home to their families at night. They are just doing their jobs,” Walker said at the meeting.

According to the statement, a man blocked a vehicle carrying two Community Development employees at a construction site on Monday and verbally attacked them.

The two incidents on Monday occurred just weeks after a homeowner shot an Independence Power and Light employee who was turning off the power.

Mayor Rory Rowland also addressed the attacks on city employees at the council meeting.

“We want to make sure we are respectful of them. We can of course disagree, but we can do so in a polite and respectful way,” he said.

The City of Independence’s statement also said, “Each of these incidents gives us cause for reflection; the safety and well-being of our city employees is our top priority in every situation. We are having several in-depth, thorough internal discussions about changing our protocols to ensure the safety of our employees.”

Clinton Forbes took his six-year-old son to Rotary Park on Tuesday, near where the dirt biker incident occurred.

“It’s horrific, really. We need to pray for healing. And we all need to pray for the same thing. That’s the only answer,” he said.

Independence Police are investigating all three recent incidents.

They all occurred after bailiff Drexel Mack was shot dead while serving an eviction notice in Independence in February.

Independence police officer Cody Allen was also killed while trying to help Mack, and two other officers were injured.

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