Although Jay-Z is best known for his rhymes and his billionaire ambition, much of his attention in recent years has been focused on a mission of social justice, which he’s pursued through his Team Roc initiative. After a million-dollar investigation into the Kansas City Police Department, Team Roc has now filed a lawsuit against the department, alleging that the KCKPD failed to comply with a public records request issued by Team Roc in November 2023 looking into a “longstanding” pattern of alleged “abuse and misconduct.”
According to Rolling Stone, the lawsuit accuses the KCKPD of “stonewall[ing] plaintiffs for almost a year… Defendants have produced zero documents relating to any complaint or investigation into even a single instance of misconduct by any member of the KCKPD.”
“Kansas City residents have suffered enormously as a result of KCKPD abuses,” the lawsuit reads. “Some have been framed for crimes they did not commit; some have been coerced into providing false testimony; some have been sexually assaulted; some have endured brutal beatings; and some have even been killed. 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.”
Team Roc’s lawyers want a court declaration that Kansas City officials “failed to comply” with their records request, and for the request documents to be turned over within 30 days.