Building the Troost Wall: Structural Racism in Kansas City

[@reian41]

I'd been shown this video in at least three different college classes as a Kansas City local, now I've got a job dealing with local environmental design changes in our blighted communities, so one could say that this is what helped motivate me to change the issues at hand.

[@TheRoyalFlush]

KC is one of the best kept secrets in the USA -- especially midwestern US. It has its problems, like any other city, but there is a certain charm in that town which few midwestern metros barely scratch.

[@daviddemaria3982]

From NJ, I lived in KC for 15 years, now in Denver. I love KC, it's a hidden gem indeed. So many great things about it.

[@AnotherTekGuy]

Thank you for making this video. I have lived here for about a year, and it was clear to me that Troost was the dividing line of poverty here in Kansas City. I moved here from San Antonio, where the population of African Americans is relatively low...So i never felt the effect of being black. I was here less than a month and i felt it, it was thick...I really appreciate this video.

[@timsunmey7143]

I really like you're use of was

[@shelleycline3542]

Nope. It's moved to holmes now. I've lived here my whole life. It keeps moving west of Troost and it gets shitter the further left it moves.

[@Limitedfreedomofspeech]

People are kind to one another. JC Nichols did incredible things for Kansas City and Kansas cities. He was not a racist just an innocent developer who made beautiful neighborhoods that progressives intend to dismantle.

[@guap3228]

I’ve lived 19 years in KC and i had no idea the reasons behind the great divide in wealth in that area. Thank you for this very informative video

[@trgoohileshea2820]

I can tell this was filmed a few years ago. All of the buildings at about the 3:20 mark are gone. The closed Apple Market is now the Planet Fitness to which I belong. The city moved the license offices from downtown to that same area. All of the 47th and Troost area looks nothing like that anymore.

[@mwesch]

Filmed in June 2017

[@miahleissa9599]

Thank you. People need to understand how things happen if they want to avoid perpetuating them.

[@pyramidhead138]

I went to Paseo High School, and take it from a former student, that school was FLOODED with racism. even some of the teachers and staff were racist. of course I graduated in 2001 so I have no idea what that schools like now

[@sydmaker4115]

The same !

[@iknowdeweybrudda6564]

Paradise compared to St. Louis

[@nicandrews1370]

They both equally suck, no difference.

[@notebook2876]

St Louis ain't nothing either, I stayed in st Louis for 8yrs, felt like I was in Maui.

[@jeffbarnes54]

I will agree with you that that city, county and state has conspired to keep poor minorities, mostly African Americans on the East and Southeast Kansas City Metro. Back in the mid 1980s KC was forced by the Feds (HUD) to tear down the horrible highrise projects located just East of downtown, but what to do with the people that lived there? Well what the city did was to buy up houses out in Ruskin Hills and other Southeast neighorhoods in the old Bannister Mall area and they moved the African Americans out there. This was all done very under the table and as soon as they started doing this crime starting going up, and of course the residents (almost all white) began to flee to Johnson County, North of the River up into Antioch and Gladstone and farther East out towards Blue Springs. The areas around Bannister Mall went down fast, within a decade the area went from a vibrant middle class area to a problematic area of welfare mothers with tons of latchkey kids. Well by the 2000's the whites are gone, Southeast is all black, Bannister mall is gone, (crime and loss of middle calls shoppers doomed it) now its just an empty lot. It's really sad to see what was once a great area desimated by government corruption. Developers and realtors made out like bandits selling the homes in Southeast and then building new houses for the whites to flee too. But I have to be honest, if i moved back to KC I would only live in Johnson County, or way North of the river.

[@speedythunder1995]

These white folks complain to be a democratic candidate or a republican this is what tearing this city yet along country a part

[@AtlsCollegePark]

This is sad but something I've always known, my daughter's mother is from KC and when I would go up there to visit I saw the troost line not even knowing about the city, it reminded of how my hometown Atlanta use to be back in the 70's but my city broke that line and blacks been thriving and living great here for 40 plus years now showing the US we can do what whites can do if given the chance, Atlanta is almost 70 percent black and most have good to great paying jobs and live in all of the wealthy neighborhoods in the city, most of the condos and luxury apartments in Downtown Atlanta are owned by blacks and the property value is as high as anywhere where else in the country outside of New York and San Francisco, white people not from Atlanta come here and are shocked by the millions of black people with money here cause there used to seeing us poor, not being doctors, lawyers, real estate agents, etc. 80 percent of nightclubs, bars and strip clubs in Atlanta are owned by blacks, that's why it's called Black Hollywood and so many black people all over the US is moving here, the Latinos are moving here by the millions now cause we don't do that racist shit here, outside of Atlanta, Yeah it's racist but not Atlanta, we've had a black mayor for 46 straight years and if this whole country can start doing what Atlanta has been doing since 1972 when we had our first black mayor who got rid of that racist line between North Atlanta where the whites lived and South Atlanta where the blacks lived and blacks were able to move North and live in Buckhead, Midtown, Druid Hills, Alpharetta and Marietta, we as a country will not be racist anymore but equal

[@MimiKeel]

I've always wanted to visit Atlanta, but I've heard it has become somewhat of a dangerous place to live. What do you say to this?

[@holoholohaolenokaoi2299]

nice

[@BeeGreatful]

Hey guys pay no attention to what the people are saying on these posts, I grew up on that other side of Troost with a hard working father and mother. You guys are absolutely spot on with your research. Many of Those racist people who lived on the other side don’t understand and never will, but to be fair there are a those who were not racist and would try to do what they could to help further equality within the races. (clearly that did not include J.C Nichols). I attended D.A. Holmes the school of Walt Disney, I also Attended Central Jr right after it became desegregated, then Southeast High with a mixture of White and blacks once we moved out south to 73rd and Brooklyn. I use to have to ride a bus from my home to the Conservatory Of music, UMKC. I would transfer each time at 45th street at the Plaza. The bus then became all white and I had to endure all the angry stares and hostility I encountered as a teen on that bus. I will never forget. I just took my behind right on to the back as the looks suggested. I was no Rosa Parks though buses were supposed to be open to everyone by 1970. I hated going to piano lessons there for that reason, I hate not been exposed to that kids nd of hatred and asked my dad if I could go somewhere else. He only wanted the best for me! So again congratulations you hit it spot on from the black perspective. Also The Arial views of the city were spectacular! Great camera work. If you would like to explore the music scene, life during the time of Charlie Parker academy In the 80s when so many great musicians including Kevin Mahogany, Sonny Kenner, Milt Abel and many others, including myself under the direction Of Director, Eddie Baker, let me know. Eddie did a lot for Jazz in K.C and is the reason there is a Jazz museum though you would never know it! Thank you for this look at my hometown. I live in D.C now so this was a great find!

[@rickschucker9697]

It’s a story of people who value education, who work hard , who take personal responsibility for themselves, who value family and want to live in a safe environment and those who don’t 😢.

[@smac1130]

I live in KC and have lived in between the multimillion dollar houses and Troost. It was blindingly obvious the disparity between the two, and Troost LITERALLY being the dividing line between white and black. Thank you for shedding light on this topic, and educating me and others. It's really eye opening...

[@matthew13711]

may God bless you for making this documentary. I am a white man who purposefully lives east of Troost. I'm always looking for ways to build my brothers up and by prayer of Saint Moses the Black may we all rise! ✊🏿☦️

[@louisfiii4080]

KCPT needs to play this ASAP!

[@erikabicsak1503]

Yes!!

[@alyssatroia9866]

Thank you so much for making this video. I am from a small town in northern California, but am currently studying at University of Kansas City-MO for a month long internship. I brought my bike here to ride around the explore the city. The racial divide across Troost was so obvious to me--- It is appalling. I did one google search on "redlining in Kansas City" and found this video. Very well articulated, and I am glad to see that people are, at the very least, investigating this circumstance.

[@sashaminx75]

Thank you for your outward honesty ⭕💯👍🏾

[@tinydancer867]

Well don’t you sound very... UNEDUCATED!!! Damn.. travel some more before you make “appalling” statements! America is much, much bigger and more diverse than you’re California town. Come on to the Deep South where i live and I’d really hate to see what you would say about my hometown with you’re little knowledge.

[@kevinstimelsky673]

Well I guess if your woke ass don't like one side move to the other! There is a reason for that line!!

[@jimrick6632]

I AM 80 NOW...I GREW UP IN KANSAS CITY WHEN BOTH BLACKS AND WHITES GOT ALONG...NOW THE DRUG CULTURE HAS ERODED THAT FRIENDSHIP.....

[@williambrandondavis6897]

Hmmmm, Im 40 and I grew up in Lewaood and Overland Park. I now live off Bannister rd. east of troost in a mostly black neighborhood and I have never had any problems getting along with anyone. Everyone is really nice and friendly for the most part. I can't complain.

[@jimrick6632]

@@williambrandondavis6897 AMEN BROTHER...GLAD TO HEAR YOU ARE HAPPY...

[@paulcreedon1375]

Thanks for making this video. I grew up in St. Louis and it is the same situation. The dividing line is for us there is Delmar Boulevard between North and South St. Louis. The same struggles exist.

[@pep590]

Yes, the same black on white out of control crime exist.

[@Concraft]

turn the music down lil bro 😂

[@KortneeY]

thank you for this video. I have lived on the eastside of Kansas City my whole life and I always wondered why the West side was considered "white, good neighborhoods" and the East Side was considered " the ghetto, where the black people lived."

[@howthafuckimgoeatdinnerman5985]

Courtney Mosby Kcmo stand up baby!

[@dragonsnakes]

Now the dark n white hispanics live in on the Westside

[@bwiseafricam5255]

Thank you for telling the truth. If systemic and structural racism is to change; it will need to come from the descendants of people who created the great divide. Well done👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@burdman1954]

this video is bullshit.. i lived on kansas city east side for fifty years it is not a race issue ,it is about money and morals..most people are working class and have modest older holmes and they kept them up as well as they could and took pride in what they had, in the last thirty years people moved in and just dont care what the house looks like,dont mow the grass,dont paint when needed,broken windows,they dont care just as long as that car in the drive has fancy wheel and a nice paint job, have money for smoke and have that drink..when a house empties it is open game for stealing the wire,plumbing,alum siding or anything else that they can make a buck on..drive down the streets and you will see the ones that take pride and the ones that dont...and i will guarantee you go west of trust you will find the same just not as many...

[@mwesch]

I'm not sure what part of the video you are calling BS. These are historical facts laid out in the video that helped create the segregation we still see today. There are 3 additional issues that influence how well a house might be taken care of: 1. Many houses have converted to rental properties with absentee landlords who can't turn a profit fixing up the properties so they let them deteriorate, 2. those renters you see with the nice wheels are investing in something they can take pride in within their price range. It is a lot easier to invest in some nice wheels and fix up an old car (something that builds community, pride of ownership, and joy in life all for under $3,000) vs. buying a house, and 3. Living in poverty is hard, day in and day out, without a break. Decisions tend to be short-sighted because they have to be, and the stress wears on people. I agree with you 100% on the importance of personal responsibility, but we also have to respect that people are starting from different places and have a different set of decisions to make based on their context.

[@burdman1954]

where in that pea brain did you get the idea that i think anyone deserves less money? you haven't got a clue , you are just one of those people that like to add your opinion on a subject you know absolutely nothing about

[@burdman1954]

what i said was the truth from living on the east side for fifty years..and as far of respecting me? hell you seem to be one that don't even respect yourself so it means jack crap to me

[@burdman1954]

50 years of evidence...where do you live zach ? moms basement ?

[@jimfrits334]

burdman1954, I have to agree with you . My childhood home was at 27th and Askew until 4th grade. Then we moved to 49th and The Paseo area until graduating from Paseo High School. I saw the change to my neighborhoods EXACTLY as you described them. Many homes went to hell in a hand basket for whatever reason. The reasons didn't really matter to someone who saw his property values start to decline. We got out as soon as possible as we did not have money to waste while hoping for the best. I left for the service immediately after graduation from high school and my family sold out again and headed for Prairie Village. Whenever I hear folks whining about underprivileged areas not having an educational opportunity I think about the billion+ dollar waste of money to the Kansas City School District. Don't believe me, read this. object.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-298.pdf and this articles.latimes.com/1996-03-27/local/me-51685_1_kansas-city-public-schools. So what's the solution......."Culture Change", but that's something that I'll never see.

[@pedeniaevans4242]

The decline happens when people stop caring and have no more fight in them to make all living situations better.

[@millieil6510]

@Zachary Bushnell why would you put money to rehab a neighborhood people are just going to jack up in under a year? Use some logic

[@holoholohaolenokaoi2299]

@Zachary Bushnell you're victim mentality is clear. you're a liberal democrat loser

[@sashaminx75]

@@millieil6510 don't believe that was her point

[@jamesclum1729]

I am someone who lived in the inner city of Los Angeles for 10 years, and I used to be a liberal who bought up all of the same concepts and guilt that you are pushing in this video. However, I grew up and found out from experience that the individual has more to do with how far you go in life. In the last few years, I decided to move back to Johnson County Missouri the home of my birth and found several houses in Kansas City that I was interested in on Zillow. Two problems immediately became apparent to me. First, the crime rate there and the low school ratings. I eventually bought in Lexington an hour to the east where the schools are just as bad and the job opportunities are not any better. I looked for work as teacher in Kansas City because salaries were much higher. These schools talked a good game about being diverse but really were not. It's not race that had anything to do with my decision. It was common sense. Why move to an area where there's crime and bad schools? The whole Kansas City area votes Democrat. Regardless of race, or socio-economic level. This is the ideology that fuels these divides in cities like Kansas City. There are have and have nots in these cities and both live in a symbiotic relationship. I've been on both sides of Troost and like anyone else who has a car, everyone is free to go anywhere. If you find a niche in Kansas City and decide to stay there, you must be benefiting from it in some way otherwise you'd get out.

[@sashaminx75]

James Clum not since Trump won and Hillary was the only other option. times are changing, guess you'll have to be black on the east side to know huh💁

[@jamesclum1729]

Sasha Minx if you think the the president is responsible for these conditions you've already drunk the kool- aid. Notice this chump drove into KC , ate a good meal crapped on the the restaurant and then moved on to make a point his liberal professors would salivate over. News flash- it sucks on both sides of Troost. The history is true but but what are people doing today? No one has to live anywhere to have a legit opinion about the place.

[@davewiegmann5812]

I live here and black and white people get along better in this city than in any I've ever lived in. There are still problems, but inherent racial bias is not the main one. We have gangs, drugs, and your usual crime. ..and the democrats NEED the victim mentality. tghere is no reason for any black person to vote for them. These dems destroyed the family structure in the 60s and it's been all downhill from there for the black (and white) community. Now it's open borders with endless 3rd world migration driving wages down and outsourcing of our jobs to China. ...and they want to keep racial agitation alive when everyone else is sick to death of it. we just want to be allowed to live our lives without these snide little leftwing worms eroding everything.

[@jessicamyers423]

I think you missed the what the video is saying. This is purpose built system of division and segregation that exists to this day. People don't always just have an opportunity to leave it. If you talk to anyone who lives in these areas, it's about finances, it's about being welcome in the nice areas. White flight is real and is evident in the suburbs around KC. Basically black and brown families start moving in and white families start moving out. The last 5 years my street has seen almost entirely white families moving out because apparently they can't live next to a diverse group of people. You basically touched on the point of this video when you talk about not buying a home here. It's hard to sell and create net worth when the market isn't there. That is the reality in these specific neighborhoods. It's hard to be able to move from an area where home values are 10-30k, into the nicer areas with good schools when the home values are over 200k. The homes in these nice neighborhoods have skyrocketed over the last few years. Even a gross and nasty fixer upper in the burbs will cost you around 150k. Home pricing in the poor areas is garbage. It doesn't help that wealthy business people snatch up dirt cheap property and you end up with a bunch of land hoarders and slum lords as well. Also, the video is wrong it's not Johnson, it is Jackson county. Johnson Co is on the KS side and not home to either KC MO or KC KS.

[@miahleissa9599]

wise words thank you for posting

[@DirgeHanson]

Very informative and REAL.

[@geno816]

Born and raised here. Its thick. Im a black kid. Lived east of troost for 20 years. Have now lived west for 14. I think that as the years progress that dividing line will get rubbed away. Too many resources (internet) for people to remain held down.

[@bobbg9041]

This is why education and good bank loans help improve an area. The only way to stop this racial divide is urban renewal And this would provide good paying jobs to low income families and bring property values back up, this can only help the whole city and every community Both sides of troost would be affected by this. The city needs programs to teach younger out of work or low paid people in poverty areas home improvement skills to fix up houses in low income areas this puts the houses back at a more valued rate and teaches a good job skill to workers. The properties owned by the city can be rehabbed and sold to support the project or bought by the people who worked on them who learned a skill and earned an income. You can take this skill anyplace to earn a living. An honest living that pays good money without a collage dgr. It builds wealth back into a community and raises property values. This works in every city, the concept works every where. Its not just kansas city, and its good for the whole city not just the poorer areas. Hell even whites go bankrupt Color dosnt matter if somone defaults on a loan. This national program needs investment, it needs donations and cities to turn over abandoned property to be rehab and sold. It also needs volunteers teachers and willing students as well as a bussines none profit model And structure, with max salary paid to management and even jobs to teach the business side of the system after 4 years your asked to seek full-time employment outside with businesss willing to hire you full-time. This even gives industry new hires in feilids that are looking for people to hire. This idea pays back in so many ways we're fools not to do it.

[@daltondemster661]

Such a great video... why negative social constructs aren't taught about more amazes me. It seems like the more we break down these 'walls' (like you've done venturing and making this video) the closer we get to equality.

[@djkortezis]

Beautifully done, U bring light to a dark situation. At the same time, I know poor communities always have people working together fighting the very system that was created to keep people down. There is always resistance and that also needs to be highlighted more.

[@daniellemiller6004]

Thank you for making this video. I grew up in kc, and never understood why it was the way it is until this video. Thank you

[@RayoAtra]

Something this well done on "Structural classism", a by product of our current outdated socio-economic thinking and catalyst for all other forms of structural violence, would be an excellent project.

[@GrannysBabies642]

RACISM; the word is racism.

[@rexboydtango]

Really excellent video! Extremely well made! I grew up in Overland Park but moved to England over 20 years ago. Your video is all about a situation that I was highly aware of living in the KC area, but never had the opportunity to investigate and understand the way you have presented it. I'd love to see a follow-up video however that could show more about life in the black part of the city and include interviews with and perspectives from the people who live there.

[@mwesch]

We will definitely be doing a follow up in a few months. The video went viral on Facebook which led to lots of great connections with people who can help us with a more detailed follow-up. Anything in particular you want us to focus on? We were thinking about showing how structural constraints have real impacts on day-to-day life.

[@rexboydtango]

Hi future2708, You are quite right. The flight to the Kansas suburbs and ignoring the population as a whole is a huge problem in KC and many other cities. It's short-sighted and I wish that the politicians and people in charge could admit the situation and do something better about living conditions for everyone. The same goes for other countries as well but having lived and travelled to a few other places the situation seems exceptionally bad in the United States although I also appreciate that the divide between rich and poor can be even worse in many other countries.

[@MaryLou913]

future2708 Why do you them not to move to JO?

[@ronniebishop2496]

future2708 My cousin lives in Overland Park and you're saying there's no black families there right?

[@rich-f-in-tx6388]

Rex Boyd Except, Overland Park is on the Kansas side. ZONK! YOU'RE LYING. 🤥 🖕

[@iknowdeweybrudda6564]

Kcmo mostly is detached single family homes and suburban sprawl with low density; more so than Overland Park and Lenexa. And over 50% of the metro areas office space is in Johnson county Kansas. Johnson county Kansas is the most densely populated and wealthiest county with over 613,000 people. Johnson county’s median household income is 96,059$ and kcmos is 60,042$. Theres more people living within 5 miles of downtown Overland Park than within 5 miles of downtown kcmo. Johnson county Kansas GDP is higher than Jackson County Missouri. There has been decades of white flight and urban decay from Kansas City Missouri. Kcmo has a big crime problem too …. I don’t consent to this comment disappearing I want it to stay here instead of KZbin removing it.

[@greenquilter6441]

section 8 housing has taken its toll. and the art district is open to anyone who wants to come... where I live we've got potholes in the road... and we are integrated just fine (is it 1950 or something?) ... high taxes and higher electricity... but ok, whatever. I doubt the owner of the business has bullet proof glass cuz they're "racist", but name calling is lucrative.

[@sashaminx75]

Jen Ros that same Crossroads district had still. failed at ebem hosting their art culture and first Fridays across Troost on 18th st..... 😔

[@missknoitall9496]

I grew up on both sides of Troost my granny stays around the corner from Paseo on Michigan Ave. I live in Jacksonvile Florida now I have been here for 26 years. I loved KC in my younger days I attended Central High and Central Jr. I went there in 2016 and saw the damn highway going through the middle of the hood. Damn that's terrible I hate all those people lost their homes. I went to the Plaza a most every weekend.

[@niccage6375]

I know a older black man who lived around troost. He worked out west. When he had to drive to work he had to go around the plaza because of segregation.

[@ezpz2ez]

In the 50's my grandmother would take me shopping up and down Troost. Amazing for a young boy. I remember the huge Firestone store, J.C. Penney, Katz drugs, Isis theatre, etc.. I think the exodus of whites peaked in the 70's. I think what happened here was similar to what happened to the Indian Springs shopping center. Crime.

[@nikkigiovanni5723]

It wasn't crime it was the fact the white people left and created redlining.

[@ezpz2ez]

You're confused. White people left BECAUSE of the crime! Ever wonder why places like Bannister Mall, Indian Springs, Troost Avenue failed. Bad checks, stolen credit cards, shoplifting, auto theft and larcenies, strong arm robberies, etcetra, etcetra. Retail buisnesses cannot survive in that environment.

[@hatman8749]

I'm from kck and the reason Indian springs closed was because someone ran into the arcade and shot someone after that blacks and whites stop going there

[@michaelgarrett7941]

@@hatman8749 ...R.I.P. Patrick Sills!

[@howthafuckimgoeatdinnerman5985]

I'm known all up and down Troost,all I hear is WHAT'S UP BRYAN from blacks and whites

[@holoholohaolenokaoi2299]

lol nice!

[@martyfrench9067]

Yours is my favorite comment on here. :)

[@sofiablades7059]

You forgot many other districts places such as the Boulevard and Prairie Village were forgotten. I live in Prairie Village created by Henry Coppock, who played just as much of a role as Nichols. As of right now living in Mission Hills is considered a luxury, even on the western side we recognize the privilege of others, Prairie Village is where most suburban families live and no we don’t all go to country clubs and shop at the luxury stores on the plaza. And the Boulevard is considered the Hispanic district and I actually really enjoy visiting the Boulevard to me it isn’t as much “ghetto” as it is eccentric. I love the video just make sure to add more contrast other than rich=white and black=poor.

[@kansascitychief4965]

I’ve lived in the hood in NE KCMO and I’ve lived in the racist enclave of Johnson County. This been a reality all my life

[@angelajohnson1906]

The final statement made in this video was powerful. I thank you for your honest depiction of your white reality vs a large segment of the black, brown, poor white people reality. History will continue to become the present as long as true honest history isn’t taught, evaluate, and scrutinized. If not we will continue this perpetual loop.

[@mikemyers3382]

Has anyone ever looked into what the black leaders east of Troost were in favor of? Speaking to some of the old timers from this area (and not all white) from this time - black leaders were wanting the east side to remain the black community. Anyone ever hear of this?

[@ColtsFan2016]

the fact that anyone could say J.C Nichols wasn’t a racist is disgusting.

[@mwesch]

Not that he wasn't a racist, but that his racism is not the sole reason for white flight. We can't understand the history as the making of just one man's racism.

[@ColtsFan2016]

but there was no confirmation or denial that his racism played a major part in the industrialization or growing of kansas city. in my opinion, i feel one side or the other should have been taken. still a decent mini-documentary, but there should have been more elaboration on Nichols and other prominent, white planners, and their blatant racism.

[@mwesch]

@@ColtsFan2016 6:40 seems pretty explicit that the JC Nichols racially restrictive covenants on his new neighborhoods played a major role in the story of segregation ... and that it wasn't just Nichols as 97% of properties in JoCo had these restrictions. One can argue that JC Nichols inspired these other covenants, but it is also clear that there was a vast culture of overt racism at the time. I did make the decision to underplay Nichols because the common narrative makes him an easy scapegoat. It becomes too easy to blame one dead racist guy rather than face up to the more complex reality of pervasive racism that once existed and our struggle to move beyond it today.

[@amylafferty3092]

Thank you for this video. Kansas City is my hometown and I lived in the Plaza, Loose Park, 63rd Brookside area. This makes me very sad and until last year Mom lived here. After 90 years she moved to her daughter's home in another state. I have lived on the East side and it was horrible. I prefer living elsewhere and have many stories of the "thick" racism. The last five years I sporadically went to a church on the east side where I was met warmly. I was the only white person. Your video is unusual in blaming no one. Without an economic solution, the population on the East side cannot rise.

[@timzim21]

You heavily downplayed the role of JC Nichols in all of this. He didn't just work within the system around him, he helped create it. His hands shaped the Troost divide almost as much as they shaped the Plaza area.

[@mwesch]

He did help create the restrictive covenants of HOAs which were then replicated across the country, and was highly influential not only in KC, but nationwide. However, he did not build the Troost Wall alone, and widespread racism of the time meant that he was right that blacks moving into his developments would lower property values. Today, racism continues, and at least some of it stems from the judgments placed on blacks vs. whites based on the neighborhoods in which we live, without understanding the history of why we live where we do. I think it is more beneficial to recognize the role of widespread racism and structural racism rather than to blame it all on one man. Blaming it all on JC Nichols exonerates the rest of us. Together, we all create the world in which we live, and we can do better.

[@timzim21]

Michael Wesch I agree with you, it is absolutely on all of us. I'm not suggesting that it was all Nichols, but suggesting that he was just acting in the best interests of his clients lets him off the hook for everything he did.

[@timzim21]

Michael Wesch I agree with you, it is absolutely on all of us. I'm not suggesting that it was all Nichols, but suggesting that he was just acting in the best interests of his clients lets him off the hook for everything he did.

[@OneManParade]

Are the bars on the Windows because White people are breaking in to these places??? I think not!

[@davidriehle3504]

Can you do an updated video?

[@mwesch]

I will see if I can get to it. Almost everything I talk about in this video refers to events that happened in the 1900s. Any video update could only be on the lingering effects, which would require an in-depth study & ethnographic fieldwork.

[@RodneyAustin-jl9oj]

Born and raised in Kansas City Missouri, I know all to well of these invisible walls. Born in 1965, I can clearly remember my childhood starting at the age of 3. We lived off of 30th and prospect, very tough times for black families. No blacks were allowed to go past a certain area during the 60s, as time went on and Kansas City developed, my parents finally got descent paying jobs, and by 1977,we finally moved south to 68th and terrace by this time the so called suburbs were starting to develop like Grandview, overland Park and such, the white families were moving that way giving way to black families with good or semi good jobs to relocate their families to better living conditions. I can remember moving out south as we called it being one of the first five black families in that neighborhood. To our surprise all the white families still living there were very friendly and welcoming. But as time went by and development progressed further south and west the white families moved of causing decline of jobs in the area. All in all things were good for myself and my family. But it is now 2024 and the neighborhood I remember is long gone. This document really tells the truth about the invisible walls created by rich white men, so I can definitely relate.. any one reading this thank you for taking the time. Kansas City has some very dark secrets and those of us who grew up here in the 60s and so on know all to well what is hidden in plane sight. 💯💪🏾

[@sashaminx75]

You need to discuss the gentrification happening in the Beacon Hills neighborhood as of right now!!👿 They are trying to push the majority Black homeowners out of the neighborhood as we speak. Some are receiving letters of intent to buy every other week!🙊🙉🙈 it's sickening. The city already approved a street scape off 24th troost attached to the Go bond funding only months after being brought to the table. It's down right sickening and sad. 😷😔😢 these are the people you need to do the follow up with. Quite sure they have waaay more horror stories to tell. Go to a neighborhood association meeting or something

[@trgoohileshea2820]

71 Highway is where it is, not because of race, but because of links to arteries servicing other highways. There was already an interstate connecting downtown to Johnson County, KS on the west side, but no such artery connecting motorists to 435 and the interstates that led to Grandview and on south all the way to the Missouri border. 71 Highway was build to provide that access. Had this area been more affluent wouldn't have really mattered, because access was needed in this area.

[@williambrandondavis6897]

TR Agreed, it also gave the poorer people that lived in the area access to better jobs in other parts of the city.

[@buzzcrushtrendkill]

What would give greater transparency but would actually take guts to do, is to interview the people in those neighborhoods that make them so bad. Find out about them, their attitudes. Then you can present a broader understanding. Just talking with the nice people doesn't show what they are really up against.

[@dliv1687]

Great video. I thought i was the only person on the red side that noticed such a close divide

[@r.ginarenee-hbhaenglishdep2635]

Mr. Wesch, How can I access the census links at the beginning of your video?

[@mwesch]

www.city-data.com/city/Kansas-City-Missouri.html

[@marcirobins5144]

Start at the Library. You should know this already. Census info is gathered through the government sites. Happy researching!

[@millieil6510]

Black ppl - we can't succeed and live in ghettos because we get red lined. Red lining is outlawed and black ppl - we can't succeed and live in ghettos because we don't have enough money. Federal sponsorship is introduced to help low income ppl buy home, black ppl still living in ghettos. Black ppl - we don't succeed and live in ghettos because we don't have any political clout! Black ppl get a black mayor and still live in ghettos. I don't see a race problem here. I see a culture problem. Time to prioritize pride of place. You don't have to be rich to mow your lawn, paint your house, pick up garbage, and keep a neighborhood watch to maintain safety.

[@MelainaGibs]

What is the site you’re using at 4:29? I love the map

[@DalV]

You simplify it by saying it’s a black/white issue. Yet we have poor that immigrate here and thrive and become successful. Black people are at an even better advantage with priority college enrollment & financial aid. The problem is a cultural one and life choices. Welfare has done a lot of damage.

[@DalV]

Zachary Bushnell what does lynchings have to do with welfare? lol, liberal logic!

[@seanbryan1739]

Idiot, priority in college enrollment doesn't mean much, if you not investing in pre-k and not enough jobs. It's not like college gonna let you in just because you are black. I live near Harvard and MIT, and there are few blacks here. smh

[@lisawilson6346]

I’m sure you have taken a course or two, sociology, statistics, geography of the human landscape, even at a jr college.... but here in kc. This systemic racism is life. I see it everywhere, I live it, and try my best to understand how we can’t at least try harder to blur the line

[@devonfonal5310]

Zachary Bushnell That explains a lot actually.

[@chumadoshi6987]

You're right. From bahamas here, came to kc with 0$ and had no advantages whatsoever and now I'm a physician making 250k and I can say Kc is anything but racist. People here are the best the

[@BHB_STL]

& as an STLien I thought the Delmar Divide was a motherfucker.......

[@frankez99]

It’s not a wall or a red line, it’s CULTURE. Of course nobody likes to say that.

[@tomdalton4293]

It is very much redlining

[@laco_nic]

Critical visibility, thank you!

[@dustinheese]

I grew up in Prairie Village and got in trouble in high school. I had to go to school in Kansas City and learned far more being in a truly desegregated school than I could have ever where I was. I didn't get as good of an education, I won't deny that, but the cultural education I gained was much more important. I don't know the answers to fix things, but fixing the schools would be a start. I think the simplest way to fix funding for schools across the Troost wall is to desegregate the schools, but Missouri needs more restrictive charter school laws for that to even work.

[@niccoarcadia4179]

There's not much opportunity in KC anymore. What the city needs is entry level jobs. The youth is facing a scary future there. The factories are gone because of greed. The paychecks those factories gave were good money, a man could raise a family and maybe get a house & car. But they're all gone. There's nothing more secure in life then a steady paycheck. The steady paycheck changes young minds. We must bring back opportunity and push our governors for more jobs, in KC and across our cities everywhere. There's a millennial aged work force ready to work and nothing for them.

[@havenmonahan2719]

I was surprised to learn that in the city of the BOP and Ford plants, Hallmark cards, Butler Buildings, and many other industries, state, local, and federal government is now the largest employer.

[@Backwardsman95]

I'm not sure any one policy could have prevented this from happening in KC, but I'd be interested if you could do a follow up video that focuses more on landlords/property developers. Taxing land value could prevent land speculation, but I'm not sure if it would have any effect on the redlining.

[@lunemstyles]

This is pretty informative given that I'm born and raised in Kansas City Missouri... From North Eastside area

[@lunemstyles]

Southeast high

[@nikkigiovanni5723]

I went to Southeast High and I live in the southeast area

[@domthedom2765]

5 block myself. Paseo!!

[@brandonstahl8163]

Is someone able to point me to the website he used to find the demographics for Jackson County?

[@JacksonTaylorandTheSinners]

Culture matters.

[@tekeyaradford6642]

This very similar to Milwaukee as well. Its disappointing its actually the most segregated city in the US

[@jeathebrainiac708]

This video was jaw dropping. Had to watch it for class but it was really interesting.

[@salazardeltoro4561]

The problem is enforcing diversity when people naturally have racial ingroup preferences. Nobody is enforcing segregation. Nobody is "trying to keep the blacks out." The mayor is black, a good deal of city reps are black, the President was black from 2008-2016, which is a lot more recent than Jim Crow. People just naturally tend to prefer to gravitate towards their own racial groups. There are black, white, Hispanic, Asian, etc. neighborhoods in EVERY large major city, not just KC, and it isn't because there are Klansmen patrolling the streets in tanks to make sure the races don't mingle. Trying to make this reality out like it's some kind of dirty word has yielded zero positive results. In racially homogeneous areas like Iceland and Japan, there is virtually no crime to deal with. Sweden, on the other hand, after they decided to try diversity over homogeneity, has gone from having some of the highest standards of living on Earth, to skyrocketing rape, murder, even grenade attacks, for fuck's sake. We can't come up with any kind of solution to everyone's problems until we are ready to acknowledge ALL the facts, not just the ones we're comfortable admitting in polite company. If people's lives are really so valuable, then more of us need to speak up before it gets any worse.

[@buzzcrushtrendkill]

That is a hard reality that many are trying to wish away instead of just facing. One can disregard the issue of racial ingroup preferences and how countries of racial homogeneity are highly functioning but objective reality won't change because of their refusal to accept it. So you have what is in evidence in every major American city.

[@chukc2012]

Just cuzz the mayor of KC is blakc don't mean he's helping the blakcs. Funny thing about it is that most of the blakcs in KC thing the mayor is a puppet for the white man.

[@matthew13711]

your ignorance just reinforces the premise of systemic racism taking its toll on our psyche

[@joshuamlnarik5942]

Comparing us to iceland or japan is absolutely absurd and about as falsely equivalent as it gets. Google the populations of those countries. Also, take into account the number of firearms in both countries isn't even a fraction of a single percent of ours. Might have an effect on crime rates no? Also I can't speak for iceland being "racially homogenous", but Japan certainly isn't, in fact there's a FUCK TON of racism in Japan so idk where you're getting your info but not only is it incorrect but the methods in which you're incorporating it into the dogshit argument you're making is just astonishingly misguided, if not done in deliberate bad faith. sorry but when you make arguments that bad eventually you will be called out on it.

[@salazardeltoro4561]

@@joshuamlnarik5942 I can speak for Iceland being racially homogeneous, and for the racial homogeneity of Japan, and I'd say ours is about as comparable to theirs as their firearm rates are to ours. It isn't even close. Don't be so intellectually dishonest that you tell half-truths to feel better about being ignorant.

[@chadgriffin5088]

In the words of Morgan Freeman-"How do you end racism? QUIT TALKING ABOUT IT"

[@pedeniaevans4242]

You're right it starts with us and that goes well beyond skin color. I was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. No matter where you live in this city, what is so difficult or hard about picking up trash and cutting your lawn in the community? Great video and informative. I still live here, over 50 years.

[@Xplorer228]

So what's the solution?

[@jamesanderson-oc5kg]

Get rid of the need for bars on the windows. I live in a poor place with old mobile homes and we do not need bars on windows. The keys stay in my truck, doors unlocked. Crime and being poor are not the same. Being poor is not an excuse.

[@salazardeltoro4561]

james anderson This. West Virginia is poor as dirt, but boasts one of the lowest crime rates in the nation. We don't hear the left crying about WV, though, because it doesn't fit their victimhood narrative. Beware people who ignore empirical evidence to push excuses.

[@sashaminx75]

talk amongst kc citizens on a monthly basis can help.

[@NoWordsNeeded1000]

Only time...

[@intervestcom8054]

@@NoWordsNeeded1000 when we stop killing ourselves we will be and stay strong!!

[@crazitomali]

I've lived in Kansas City my entire life and didnt know a lot of this stuff. :)

[@ronniebishop2496]

I had my first crush in Kansas City, had my first job in Kansas City, bought my first car in Kansas City and had my first car stolen in Kansas City. But man I loved this Town. The Plaza was so classy. TWA gave me my first airplane ride from Kansas City. Recorded my first song in Kansas City. Sang in my first church in Kansas City. I didn't live in Kansas City except in the summer time. The evolution part is not correct. All kinds of people were created even the Tower of Babel proved that. More sun! Hahahaha Hahahaha Hahahaha.

[@JeremiahDaniel1995]

Ronnie Bishop God bless u man ur awesome love ur positive experiences 😎

[@domenicosaviano5924]

And multiple times you bring up Prairie Village, and Johnson county which is in KANSAS. NOT MISSOURI nor KANSAS CITY. Different town, different state, different history. SMH. That's the thing about you Kansans, you literally have nothing to do with the state or city (don't vote here, don't pay our taxes here, don't know the people here) other than sniping jobs and business prospects from the area. The KC Sporting is a perfect example. Lower Eastside KCMO which is majority black, was to get a brand new stadium for the soccer team there where Bannister Mall was, with smaller fields around it for little leagues. It was supposed to transform that whole corner. Bring some prestige back to that area. Hell, they even started breaking ground there. But somehow you Kansans sniped the building contract and team. Moving them to Wyandotte Kansas and changing there name. And the only reason that was a success, is because the Wizards were already the reigning champions. But the leaving the Bannister area a mess for bout a decade.

[@Billybob-el3cl]

Domenico Saviano Kcmo Rotted Out The Kansas Side is passing the Missouri Side.

[@Billybob-el3cl]

Domenico Saviano you have to go down south of 95th street

[@havenmonahan2719]

Kansas residents pay income tax to Kansas City Missouri if they work there.

[@nicandrews1370]

Troost is definitely the color line

[@scottrobertson5639]

get a job, pay your bills, take care of your property and dont steal stuff. you can live on the right side of the wall. be the hardest worker and rewards will come your way the boss man said, just not today.

[@buzzcrushtrendkill]

What would give greater transparency but would actually take guts to do, is to interview the people in those neighborhoods that make them so bad. Find out about them, their attitudes. Then you can present a broader understanding.

[@sherrionsarda8295]

There would never be a boarder understanding when there is a color barrier. This has always been problem no matter what state you lived in. No matter what your ethnic background is, if you are not white! There's hell to be paid! But can anyone explain to me why? When people of color always forgive their 😟😔😞 oppressor!

[@buzzcrushtrendkill]

​@@sherrionsarda8295 why are the ethnicities with tge highest incomes in the US are those from India? Second are Asians. After those are whites. Stay in school, get an education. Be a father. And anyone can succeed?

[@janicemetzger6338]

This was fantastic! Thank you for this. Racism without racists, huh? I beg to differ. This has ALWAYS bothered me about Kansas City. I saw the racism/division there as a white child growing up along Ward Parkway and later in Mission Hills, but somehow my parents didn't quite SEE it as clearly as I did. Go figure! Quite astonishing, huh? That generation, that was perfectly happy with the status quo (as long as it didn't affect them or THEIR families) is dying off now-- and hopefully, we can swing the pendulum to where it belonged all along. :((

[@dmann8166]

Sickening that so -called Americans believe this.

[@gregwilson6980]

Segregation is a problem without any easy answers. I'm not sure what the video was telling us that we didn't already know. All I ever see is the CT scan of the tumor but no one is ever able to suggest is viable treatment plan. As in mathematical complexity theory, some problems are NP-hard without any known solution. This could be one of them.

[@bambiperry9976]

Im really thankful to anyone who is smart enough to realize and share

[@GRITBONE]

Share to expose the bullshit narrative! Right on girl!

[@Mami311]

That’s exactly same in everywhere in US!Are there any places unlike this in US!?

[@luisesquivel1419]

Did you know that structural racism is a limitation to equality?

[@TheGrangie]

Good and informative video. I am sad about the segregation and white flight that put the blacks at such disadvantage at that time. However, this is 2017...that was in the 1940's 50's and 60's. I don't see any excuse for ongoing violence, and crime. That is on them. Cannot blame white flight, racism, segregation forever. Every individual at some point faces something that knocks them down. White, black, asian, whatever. We can't continue to make excuses, but make the most of what we have or are able to do to improve our lot in life. That's the only way to get ahead in life. And yeah, some people get further ahead than others....that's just the way it goes.

[@watermelon520b]

TheGrangie well, crime exists everywhere, so...hmmm. There’s white collar crime and then there’s the blue collar/gang crime. The black community is not a homogenous society of likeminded individuals...we don’t all get along. Like any group, there is an internal social hierarchy and a self-sabotaging mentality/fear of ‘losing’ identity if people were to integrate into the Anglo community. Blacks have to be brave, and it’s not easy. My family has been ostracized for selling out, going to university, getting degrees. It’s sad, really. Being black, to me, should not be a rigid social identity. It should be fluid and ever changing. But blacks are limited both internally and externally. It requires a sacrifice and not everyone is strong enough to make it.

[@salazardeltoro4561]

Hazelnut If "being black" requires you to forego an education and intentionally put yourself at a disadvantage, possibly to the point of having to resort to crime, then you're the change the black community is waiting for. Folks like you are actively altering what "being black" is supposed to mean, for the better. Nobody wants to see anyone do poorly, but when cultural norms, as you said, sabotage one's own community for the sake of upholding some shitty mutilation of racial identity, it has to change. White limousine liberals cannot effect that change for black folks, no matter how hard they virtue signal. This is a matter only the black community can resolve.

[@lisareed5669]

Dumb.

[@TheGrangie]

@@lisareed5669 what is?

[@TheGrangie]

@Sunamer Z this is what the video is implying.

[@howardrodriguez8120]

Reminds me of how los Angeles is in a way separate the poor from the rich...

[@nikkigiovanni5723]

I'm from Kansas City the Troost line isn't separating rich from poor. It's Black and White.

[@alishamarie3897]

I’m from Kansas City and this was an excellent video. I grew up knowing that me myself as an African American would not have been able to cross west of Troost.

[@raremessages3647]

I grew up in KC, MO at 49th and Garfield, just 1 block from Garfield Elementary School. We were a poor white family. Everything was good until the blacks moved in and when they became the majority ( I was the only white girl in my class). They started to abuse me for the color of my skin, gang up on me like 10 to 1, and this abuse was daily. They hated white people and it was hell. So glad we finally was able to sell our little house and move away. Love thru Jesus is the only answer. Love thy neighbor as thy self.

[@africanpatriot265]

the illusion of inclusion

[@MimiKeel]

Yep.

[@sarahuber8567]

Brilliantly narrated. Well done!

[@benthomson2780]

KC is really a nice city, she’s t just needs to come together

[@bigboy9661]

I agree with most of this, but i dont think JC Nichols and the like should simply be absolved. I dont think he should be held solely responsible, but the capitalist rule in housing should be emphasized, and he was the one carrying out that will..

[@duster0066]

Wow! I left JOCO and KC behind 40 years ago. It doesn't sound like I made a mistake never returning to stay. I knew of the racist past of the metro area as we were taught about it and the white flight at SME. But I never felt it being white, and naively believed the area had moved past it. My faith in humanity has been shattered in the last decade, and this only reinforced my belief humans are about that much smarter than a cat, and will not solve these serious problems soon. *holds thumb and forefinger about 1/8th inch apart* We are selfish envious fearful fools. The worst of us are control freaks and criminals, and they are our leaders. History tell us this is all normal human behavior.

[@jeremyasbenettor8859]

I really liked the video. 💙

[@davehughesfarm7983]

This is where the saying "there goes the neighborhood" comes from..

[@orrling]

Being a non-American (having spent nothing longer than a month on that continent's soil overall) - I feel that I will never be able to grasp the essence and the roots of the hatred and phobia against people of Black African descent in the USA. Truly, as a Westerner and an urban / self-proclaimed progressive person - who grew up with images from American popular culture of blacks being the coolest and sometimes brightest people on earth (-later on thanks to my journeys to America and Africa having this image delightfully confirmed), I just consciously envy Anglo Americans for their opportunity to live with or next to or in the same neighbourhood / school / workplace with African Americans, and every single day here I wish we had more blacks on our streets and within sight (there are few... and they are typically mistreated as you could expect). It is funny that I feel pity for "the great" American inland for being this crooked toward blacks and at the same time feel tingling jealosy and injustice for them and not my own place to have this resource of blessed, genuine diversity & fantastic people that are to me all but house value reducers. Can't figure this out. Blacks please come to Israel.

[@jimmykjazz]

Chill out snowflake. Your perception of America's view of Blacks is off the mark. There are racial problems but nearly to the extent that you describe. Blacks in America give as good as they get.

[@buzzcrushtrendkill]

Do you want a list of countries that are developed and progressive after colonization? (hint, not many in Africa except South Africa).

[@davehughesfarm7983]

South Africa is in hyper regession and white genocide....... this fucker is nuts, dude go live with them if ya like ir so much............You will come around ..

[@buzzcrushtrendkill]

Zachary Bushnell yes. The information is readily available if you care to look.

[@buzzcrushtrendkill]

Dave Hughes Farm true. It has been unraveling since the ANC took power.

[@SoCalUSN]

I guess Obama's Hope And Change Bullshit didn't make it to that part of KC.

[@indieartsmidwest4042]

Thanks for the video, very informative and better when you actually go investigate. Lately I've been looking into more content related to my state.

[@ronaldwise5327]

Great city great state

[@cortezligginssr.3727]

with issues

[@sashaminx75]

@@cortezligginssr.3727 that part 💯

[@skeptle_playz6694]

There are certain neighborhoods west of Troost that you wouldn't dare go in.

[@captainricco2777]

How very nice. So this is a class assignment? There is a reason things are the way they are today in KC. I just read about a government program that was supposed to help anyone who was facing hard times and aimed at changing minds of people at risk for committing criminal acts (by threatening them with jail). The program was working and helped reduce the murder rate. Then they abandoned the program due to lack of interest and funds. Now, ...well, I would dread being a whitey in KC. It's war and it's gonna be very hard to stop it.

[@mikekraut7643]

“This was a nice neighborhood until all the whites moved in!” Said no one ever...