Ryan Denk News Today

“I do not cotton to government officials threatening citizens with lawsuits just for speaking out and raising questions — just as good citizens should do.”

Kansas Jury Awards Black Ex-Firefighter $2.43M in Discrimination Case April 23, 2021 A Black Kansas City firefighter was subjected to racial discrimination then fired in retaliation for his complaints, a federal jury found in a trial that highlighted systemic racism in the department. The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, was ordered to pay Jyan Harris more than $2.43 million for back pay, future pay and compensatory damages for ...

Several witnesses testified at trial about racial discrimination in the fire department, saying Black firefighters are frequently moved into one fire station, are often passed over for promotions and are not actively recruited to serve in the racially diverse city. Former Mayor Mark Holland testified that a former fire chief once remarked to him about how it was difficult to hire Black firefighters because, he believed, African Americans are afraid of fire. One document showed a Black firefight...

Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A Black Kansas City firefighter was subjected to racial discrimination then fired in retaliation for his complaints, a federal jury found Thursday in a trial that highlighted systemic racism in the department. The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, was ordered to pay Jyan Harris more than $2.43 million for back pay, future pay and compensatory damages for his discrimination and retaliation claims, the Kansas City Star reported....

ACLU: Merriam panhandling ordinance is unconstitutional April 17, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail MERRIAM, Kan. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union and another advocacy group are warning a Kansas City suburb that its panhandling ordinance is unconstitutional. The Kansas City Star reports that no lawsuit has been filed over the two-month-old Merriam ordinance that bans pedestrians from standing or sitting on medians at nine high-traffic intersections, other than to legally cross the street. B...