Team Roc, the social justice section of Jay-Zās Roc Nation entertainment company filed a lawsuit at Wyandotte County District Court along with Midwest Innocence Project on November 19, 2024, alleging violations of the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) by the Kansas City Police Department.
The lawsuit mentioned that the police department failed to produce law enforcement records related to older police abuse and misconduct allegations. As per NBC News, the lawsuit mentioned,
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āFor decades, communities in Kansas City, Kansas, particularly minority and immigrant communities, have been subjected to an alarming pattern of abuse and other serious misconduct by the KCKPD.ā
The lawsuit criticized KCKPD for upholding a culture that lacked transparency and accountability and accused it of ignoring and whitewashing officer misconduct. The complaint claimed the plaintiffs have faced nearly a year of stonewalling.
According to the plaintiffs, they were charged $2,200 under the Kansas Open Records Act for requested documents, a fee they agreed to pay.
However, the 225 documents received mainly included personnel schedules, training materials, and policies, with no records addressing complaints or investigations into officer misconduct as originally requested.
In November 2023, Team Roc requested the records of complaints regarding present and former officials of the police department Jay-Z's Team Roc's managing director, Dania Diaz, stated that only partial responses were received for 3 out of 16 public records requests, with some requests not addressed adequately.
At this point, the lawsuit seeks a court order mandating the release of the requested records within 30 days.
Jay-Zās Team Roc took legal action against the police department in 2022
Team Roc got involved in Kansas City after reports in 2021 revealed FBI findings of decades-long civil rights violations, including officer misconduct and excessive physical violence.
In 2022, they sued the police department, published an ad in The Washington Post urging an investigation, and pushed for federal action, citing a persistent "blue wall of silence."
After former officer Roger Golubskiās arrest, Team Roc and advocacy groups renewed calls for a Justice Department investigation into policing practices in Kansas City, Kansas, which has a significant Black and Latino population.
While no investigation has been initiated there, federal authorities are investigating alleged discrimination within Kansas City, Missouri's police force.
Progress on the Justice Department's investigation into Kansas City, Kansas, police misconduct has been slow, which left the advocates discouraged. During the first Trump administration, such investigations were largely abandoned, and Trump's team has not commented on potential plans.
However, it seems that the attention is likely to refocus on the issue as former officer Roger Golubski's trial approaches. Golubski, who retired in 2010 after 35 years on the force, has pleaded not guilty to civil rights charges.
While Kansas City Police Chief Karl Oakman has expressed willingness to cooperate with investigations, concerns about departmental transparency are still being pointed out. Team Roc reportedly remains committed to pushing for a resolution, regardless of changes in federal administration.
While Kansas law exempted certain records, like personnel files and ongoing investigations, the plaintiffs argued the government denied their requests without distinguishing between open and closed cases or addressing privacy concerns through redactions.
Despite paying a significant fee for what was promised as an extensive request, they claimed the response lacked substantive compliance.
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