JAY-Z is known not only for his mic skills but his social activism as well, and his Team Roc group has moved to the next level in its fight for justice in Kansas City.
On Thursday (November 16), Roc Nation’s philanthropic and social justice division teamed up with the Midwest Innocence Project to send a records request to the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department as the newest stage in efforts dating back to 2021 to gain information about the department’s alleged misconduct.
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“For decades, there have been numerous troubling allegations against the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department (“KCKPD”),” the request reads. “Among those allegations have been: (1) KCKPD officers use of excessive and unnecessary force and battery; (2) sexual harassment and sexual assault; and (3) conspiracies by KCKPD officers to violate citizen’s civil rights.
“Disclosure of the requested information is in the public interest and will contribute to the public’s understanding of KCKPD practices by shedding light on issues that have long been shielded from public view.”
The letter comes one year almost to the day after Team Roc helped throw a rally around these same issues. A press release announcing the rally tied it to the fall 2022 arrest of former KCKPD detective Roger Golubski “after decades of accusations of preying upon and sexually assaulting Black women and children during criminal investigations.” The new letter asks for “Any documents concerning any complaints or investigations pertaining to Golubski.”
Back in 2021, Team Roc sued the KCKPD for access to records that would shed light on complaints filed against members of KCKPD’s investigative division, including documents related to the training and supervision of officers.
Team Roc attorney Alex Spiro said at the time that Kansas City Police provided some information through the Kansas Open Records Act, but the documents were “not sufficient.”
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“Because of the [Kansas] Public Records Act that allows interested parties to look at various states and government documents, we’re allowed to see certain files and how the government handled certain issues,” he said. “The government has attempted to block our access to those files, and so we’re suing to see what they don’t want us to see.”
