JAY-Z and Team Roc are pursuing legal action against the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department for not fulfilling a public records request issued during their investigation into wrongful convictions.
The organization helped fund the investigation in 2021 and accuses the department of failing to address allegations of abuse and misconduct.
In the new lawsuit, Team Roc writes that the KCKPD has been “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.”
The lawsuit continues: “Kansas City residents have suffered enormously as a result of KCKPD abuses. 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.”
“This filing is because human beings with badges have betrayed the public’s trust … That type of behavior must be held to a standard,” Team Roc’s managing director, Dania Diaz said during an interview with NBC News.
