Kansas City woman gets '#KCStrong' tattoo, shares message with Chiefs Kingdom

Daniela Leon, CNN | 2/22/2024, 3:28 p.m.
People are showing unique ways of honoring the victims of the Chiefs rally shooting, including one Kansas City native who …
People are showing unique ways of honoring the victims of the Chiefs rally shooting, including one Kansas City native who has made the phrase "KC Strong" a permanent fixture in her life. Mandatory Credit: KSHB via CNN Newsource

People are showing unique ways of honoring the victims of the Chiefs rally shooting, including one Kansas City native who has made the phrase "KC Strong" a permanent fixture in her life.

Annette Johnson, like so many Kansas Citians, loves her city and is always celebrating every win and capturing every moment of KC pride.

"I just love Kansas City and I love the Midwest mentality; I love that when people come here, they all say, 'You're all so nice,'" said Johnson.

A week ago she was in downtown Kansas City, celebrating her beloved Kansas City Chiefs during the Super Bowl parade, but that celebration was cut short after a deadly shooting that sent shock waves throughout the Kingdom.

"It didn't really hit me until the next day when I just started seeing people talk about it; Lisa had passed and 9 kids had been shot, and the reality of that just hit me, those things just don't happen in our city," said Johnson.

But Johnson has faith in her city and is rallying in support of KC Strong; a message she believes in so much, she decided to make it a permanent by tattooing the phrase on her forearm.

"We're so strong and this isn't going to keep us down, in fact I think we're stronger," said Johnson. "I needed to get 'KC Strong' because that's our city. I don't ever want to forget that this happened, and just want to let everyone know that we're forever KC Strong and that's who we are.”

Even though Johnson knows nothing will change what happened, she is taking this message as a reminder of the hope and resiliency the heart of America is built on.

"We're stronger, this made us all closer," said Johnson, "We're all loving on each other, making sure we're OK, and that's who we are as a city and this just made our heart beat stronger for our country."