Racism in KC bad for business

  (Jazzy Jeff got the boot at Power & Light) 

KANSAS CITY, MO -Alright, I’ve seen enough. Let’s go ahead and call it what it is. The Power & Light District in Kansas City has dissolved into a commercial business cluster underscored by discriminatory dress policies and, in some instances, blatant acts of racism. It’s painful to say, but we certainly have enough evidence to suggest it’s true. I was sold the day P&L officials found it necessary to dismiss acclaimed music artist DJ Jazzy Jeff during a live concert performance this past summer. If someone as accomplished as Jazzy Jeff can get the boot, hell, no African American is safe. “I thought this was over…not in 2009!” screamed the Reverend Sam Mann to a group of protesters across the street from Power & Light on November 14. “What’s going on across the street is wrong. It is not what this city is about.”

Um…Rev. Mann, that may be true. However, I have evidence that may suggest otherwise. For instance, across the state line in Kansas City, Kansas, a party of 9 people were recently awarded $500,000 in restitution after a fraternity of white police officers inexplicably decided to enter into the home of a black family, without a search warrant, to dash an unsuspecting teenager’s birthday party. In addition to violating their personal rights, the lawsuit alleged that 5 officers struck both the adults and children with their fists. Then, as an encore, the officers spewed several nasty racial slurs before discharging pepper spray at the victims. “It’s highly unlikely (the police officers) would have acted that way if the guests had been white,” said prosecuting attorney Arthur Benson.

Oh, it gets worse. The birthday girl, TyEisha Jennings, reportedly asked for a cup of water as she laid face down on the dirt with an officer’s knee speared into her back. Instead of allowing TyEisha to stand up for a drink, the officer doused her with cold water before taking her to jail, both shoe-less and coat-less, during a chilly November night in 2005. Folks, whether we accept it or not; racism has reared its ugly head in Kansas City. And it would be foolish to ignore its impact on the community. Now, I propose the million dollar question: What do we, as citizens, do about it? During our inaugural “Mass Appeal News” radio broadcast on November 14, I raised the following question to my co-host Crystal “CB” Booker: “Should African-Americans continue to patronize the businesses at the Power & Light District?”

The question may appear a little outlandish on the surface. After all, the Power & Light District is funded with taxpayer dollars; many of which are from African American consumers. However, there’s no denying we have a disturbing trend in order here. The list of incidents involving acts of racial discrimination by P&L merchants has gotten long and deserves emergency attention. To add insult to injury, most of these businesses generate large profits by playing predominantly black music to a diverse party crowd. Wow! Talk about a slap in the face?

Here’s something else I don’t get. Retailers that sell baggy pants, gold chains, white t-shirts and work boots, thanks to African-Americans, are now part of a multi-billion dollar industry. Yet, society discourages the purchase of these items in what has become an emerging hip hop apparel market. In other words, the root of the problem is not the young people who patronize hip hop clothing chains. The core of the problem rests solely with the manufacture and distribution of these products.

Think about it. If it’s socially unacceptable to wear “hip hop” apparel, why allow corporate executives to get rich off the scheme? I’m talking about the glorification of a “prison culture” that's fed to millions of kids worldwide through both television and music. The same argument can be make for drug trafficking. Thousands of keys of cocaine and other mind influence drugs are shipped into the United States daily. However, society finds vindication in the arrest and imprisonment of thousands of young black men; most of whom have absolutely no clue how the drugs got here in the first place. Catch my drift?

And please, I don’t want to hear “the government is doing all it can to keep drugs out the country” propaganda. Because that’s not entirely true. Not convinced? Allow me to elaborate. Law enforcement agencies nationwide employ thousands of crime scene investigators every day. Keep in mind: CSI agents are capable of finding the most minuscule source of DNA to crack open a case.

Now, you mean to tell me a scientist can take a string of human hair and learn the identity and time of death of a victim, but government officials can’t keep railroad cars of crack cocaine from crossing the U.S. border? Come on. Give me a break? As a nation, our social progress has been impeded and racism is the primary culprit. We’re quick to sing “God Bless America” at concerts and sporting events. But we’ve failed to understand God doesn’t bless mess. The hypocrisy of our democracy could ultimately prove to be our nation’s downfall; which would be a crying shame. In 1955, the good citizens of Montgomery, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., formed a bus boycott to combat blatant acts of racism in Alabama. A similar business movement may be needed in Kansas City.

Wayne Hodges, an MBA from St. Mary University, is the Editor-in-Chief of MassAppealNews.com. He is also an adjunct professor, MPA at Kansas University, and intern with the Kansas Senate.