Overland Park Proudly Erases Old School Johnson County Racist Deeds

A bit of history worth remembering as this local enclave continues to turn more progressive and diverse despite the latest nationwide red wave . . . Check-it:

The Overland Park of today prides itself on being a city welcoming to all, but that wasn’t always the case, and many of its property deeds still serve as a stark reminder of that.

“The racist restrictive covenants that we’ve seen and the discriminatory ones that we’ve come across have been things that really try to prohibit minority communities, really any protected classes from moving into a neighborhood,” said Overland Park strategic communications director Meg Ralph.

Written in black and white on a copy of one of these property deeds provided by city officials reads, “Sand lots shall not be owned, occupied, or leased to any person other than the white race.”

Another copy reads, “None of the real estate shall be at any time sold or occupied by anyone of African descent of either whole or mixed blood.”

The city says similar language can still be found on property deeds in at least 30 neighborhoods in the city including Leawood Estates, Oak Park, and Prairie View. In the spring, Roeland Park passed a resolution banning this kind of language from its property deeds as well.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Overland Park removes racist language in homeowners' deeds

The City of Overland Park is working to remove racism from its property deeds.