Kansas City 'Local Control' Lawsuit: Nuisance or Social Justice?!?

From our perspective . . . There's one major flaw with a recent complaint aimed at governance over Kansas City law enforcement . . . The legal power move gets local history wrong and doesn't tell the whole story. 

THE LAWSUIT CONVENIENTLY SKIPS OVER KANSAS CITY'S FAILED EXPERIMENT WITH LOCAL CONTROL DURING THE CORRUPT PENDERGAST ERA!!!

During the not-so-long-ago days of Boss Tom . . . Gangsters took over local political institutions and sparked a wave of murderous violence and graft that was slightly worse than the current epoch. 

As this news quote notes . . . This is the 2nd effort for an argument against "local control" and we ask our blog community of amateur barristers to weigh in . . .

In the meantime, check the argument and followup reporting to a story we posted at the start of the week:

"The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in the Western District of Missouri, says the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners’ governance of the department is simply 'an effort to keep slavery legal and Black people in chains.'

"Kansas City is the only U.S. city that doesn’t have jurisdiction of its police force, a vestige of the Civil War when the Confederacy wanted to control St. Louis and Kansas City and their weapons stockpiles. Of the seats on the five-member board, four are appointed by the governor and the fifth slot is always held by the mayor.

"This is the second lawsuit questioning the constitutionality of the state’s control of KCPD. Gwen Grant, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, filed suit in 2021, alleging taxation without representation."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Black women sue Missouri to end state control of Kansas City Police

A new federal lawsuit argues that the Missouri law cementing state governance of KCPD was created "to keep Black people enslaved." One of the women is Narene Crosby, whose son Ryan Stokes was killed by KCPD in 2013.

New lawsuit challenges state control of KC police in federal court

A Confederate governor took control of Missouri's biggest police department in 1861 to help secessionists seize an arsenal. A new lawsuit, citing The Beacon's coverage, argues that was unconstitutional

Lawsuit argues Missouri's control of Kansas City Police Department is unconstitutional

Gov. Mike Parson, Attorney General Andrew Bailey and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas are among the list of defendants.

New lawsuit wants to remove state control over Kansas City Police Dept.

A new lawsuit filed by three Kansas City women is pushing to change the way the Kansas City Police Department is controlled.