Kansas County finds Archaic Racist Laws Still on the Books

When 3900 Rowland Ave. in Kansas City, Kan. was sold in 1923, there was one condition: no black people allowed. The title deed in the Wyandotte County Register of Deeds office still reads that the property "...shall not be saled, leased, rented to or occupied by any person having negro blood in his or her veins and that any such selling, leasing, renting or occupying of said property in violation of these provisions shall immediately revert the title to the grantors herein." Hal Walker, chief counsel for the Unified Government legal department, said staff are preparing an ordinance so commissioners could strike down the racist restrictive clauses in older property deeds. "It's a policy statement that we will not accept documents containing racially restrictive covenants," Walker said. "We're not going to tolerate racial discrimination anywhere, anytime." Walker said sometimes, a landowner preparing his or her legal documents will see the restrictive clause and get confused. He said although federal laws already make landowner discrimination based on race illegal, a local ordinance will make it easier for the register of deeds to refuse restrictive clauses. [more]