JAY-Z‘s Team ROC organization has filed a lawsuit Kansas City, Kansas’ Police Department and local goverment alleging failure to produce police records amid claims of corruption and civil rights violations.
The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday (Nov. 19), names the Kansas City Police Department and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas as defendants, and accuses both of failing to produce the requested documents in a “timely manner.”
According to Team ROC, the defendants’ refusal to fully comply with their requests violates public records laws, as the organization claims the Kansas City Police Department have avoided sending the documents in question.
Shawn Carter attends the Los Angeles premiere of “The Harder They Fall” at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on October 13, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.
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Team Roc’s managing director, Dania Diaz, says the organization has only received three of the sixteen documents they requested under the Kansas Open Records Act, with most of the documents they’ve received being unrelated to their inquiries.
“This filing is because human beings with badges have betrayed the public’s trust … That type of behavior must be held to a standard,” Diaz told NBC News. Team Roc’s latest filing continues the organization’s efforts to expose and eradicate the corruption and prejudice amongst public servants in Kansas and other states across the country.
In 2022, JAY-Z and Team Roc helped lead the charge for an investigation into former Kansas City police Det. Roger Golubski, which resulted in Golubski being charged with federal civil rights crimes for sex crimes against Black women and framing innocent citizens for crimes they did not commit.
Jay Z speaks onstage during the 36th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on October 30, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio.
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“For 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,” the lawsuit, which was first obtained by NBC News, alleges.
“Rather than promoting a culture of transparency and accountability, the KCKPD has a long history of turning a blind eye to (at best) and even covering up (if not worse) abusive and/or corrupt conduct by its officers.”
Producer Shawn Carter AKA Jay-Z attends “The Harder They Fall” World Premiere during the 65th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 06, 2021 in London, England.
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