Melesa Johnson Elected; First Black Woman Prosecutor In Jackson County, Missouri

At her Nov. 5 watch party, Johnson said she hoped her win would provide hope for little Black girls.

Melesa Johnson, a 35-year-old Democrat, won her race against Republican Tracey Chappell, also a Black woman, to become the first-ever Black woman prosecutor in Jackson County, Missouri.

According to KCUR, the race between the two women focused heavily on crime in the mostly Democratic county. Johnson won her race easily as she focused on aggressive prosecution and crime prevention.

Johnson replaces Jean Peters Baker, who had held the office since 2011 but declined to seek another term. Johnson came up in Baker’s office as a young attorney.

Johnson will leave her post as Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas’ director of public safety.

At her watch party on Nov. 5, Johnson said that she hoped her win would provide hope for little Black girls.

Johnson won the election 57% to Chappell’s 43%.

“Today we showed that a little Black girl from the east side of Kansas City can become one of the top-ranking law enforcement officials in the entire county — that means something,” Johnson said. “That’s going to trickle over to people wanting to become police officers, prosecutors, sheriffs, probation officers, people where I come from. And that’s a good thing for the system in its entirety.”

Johnson continued, “If you have never felt yourself seen in a justice system intended to serve you, I am honored to be your beacon of hope, and it is a responsibility that I do not take lightly.”

The race focused on crime due to a rash of property crime perpetuated by armed teens, mostly breaking into cars and businesses in affluent majority-white neighborhoods.

Notably, public sentiment around the violent crimes in Kansas City reached a fever pitch when two teenagers, age 15 and 17, allegedly shot a popular Irish chef, Shaun Brady, near his restaurant.

The two teenagers have been charged with second degree murder and could potentially be tried as adults.

Johnson’s response to the crime was to emphasize prosecution of crimes like these as well as Kansas City’s anti-violence initiative, SAVE KC. “We will fight and reduce violence and improve safety without losing sight of our humanity,” Johnson said.

SAVE KC is focused on street-level intelligence which collects information about who is most likely to commit crime.

Chappell, meanwhile, using a tough-on-crime approach, argued that social justice initiatives should only come after prosecution of violent crime.

According to The Kansas City Star, Johnson also promised her supporters that she would lead with integrity, emphasizing during the campaign that the deep-seated problems in Jackson County would not be solved by incarceration.

Instead, Johnson proposed an expansion of certain areas of prosecution like non-violent drug distribution cases while also looking to establish a new property crimes division and revitalize the conviction integrity unit, which examines past potential wrongful convictions.

“We have a tall task ahead, but through true collaboration and partnership, we can and will rise to the occasion,” Johnson said. “The challenges have been great, but your grit has been greater, and I am so grateful for your service, and know that I have some life big shoes to fill.”