-->

DOJ begins civil rights investigation in KCMO

Allegations of unfair public contracting and procurement practices in Kansas City, Mo. has resulted in the launch of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. The investigation will look into whether the city’s practices are in line with the U.S. Constitution and Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The city of Kansas City, Mo. is facing a civil rights investigation from the Department of Justice (DOJ) over allegations some of its practices don’t comply with federal law.

The DOJ is specifically looking into whether KCMO’s public contracting and procurement practices are in line with the U.S. Constitution and Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Public records show Kansas City sets aside a certain percentage of public contract funds “to favor certain people because of their race and sex and disfavor others,” the DOJ wrote in a news release.

The investigation from the department’s Civil Rights Division will determine if such practices are a Title VI violation.

Title VI prohibits race discrimination by entities that receive federal funds, according to the DOJ, and Kansas City’s eligibility for those funds could depend on the outcome of the case.

Kansas City, Mo. Mayor Quinton Lucas said it’s uncertain how long the investigation will continue, given the approaching change in presidential administration.

“Let us be clear: these are unfair claims of non-allegiance by an administration in its final hours to diminish extensive and well-researched disparity and equity studies conducted by the City,” Lucas said.

“According to publicly available information, for at least 24 years, Kansas City has used quota-based “set asides” in nearly 30 percent of all public contract dollars to favor certain people because of their race and sex and disfavor others,” the department wrote in a news release. “The department is opening an investigation into Kansas City’s public contracting and procurement programs to determine whether those programs violate Title VI, which prohibits race discrimination by entities receiving federal funds.”