Kansas City, MO – As the April 2 vote draws near, the battle lines are clearly drawn in Jackson County over the proposed stadium sales tax, with KC Tenants, a 10,000-member-strong citywide tenant union, leading the charge against billionaire sports team owners John Sherman and Clark Hunt.
In what has become a heated debate, the crux of the issue lies in a direct mail campaign from “Cornerstone 1971,” which targeted voters with imagery and rhetoric that KC Tenants has vehemently criticized for its racist language and misleading claims.
In a statement, KC Tenants denounced the mailer as “not just wrong, it’s racist,” highlighting its use of photos of Black leaders from the organization and the perpetuation of ‘angry Black woman’ stereotypes.
“It is shameful that the yes campaign would resort to this type of racism, but it’s not surprising based on who they hired to run their campaign,” the statement reads, pointing to Jeff Roe’s history of controversial campaign tactics.
The proposed sales tax has emerged as a polarizing issue, with KC Tenants articulating a comprehensive argument against it, focusing on the adverse impact on the community’s poor and working-class residents. “People all across the political spectrum agree that the stadium sales tax is a bad deal for everyone—everyone except billionaire team owners,” the organization stated, underlining a unified front transcending political divides.
The voter guide released by KC Tenants lays bare the implications of the tax, arguing that it represents one of the largest transfers of public funds to private entities in the region’s history, amounting to over $2 billion. “We love our city. Because of that love, we refuse to pay for our own displacement,” the guide asserts, connecting the tax to broader issues of gentrification and community displacement.
Central to KC Tenants’ opposition is a critique of the sales tax as a regressive financial mechanism that disproportionately affects the city’s most vulnerable. The guide explains, “Sales taxes are taxes on goods and services, like groceries… With sales taxes, poor and working class people pay a larger share of our income than the wealthy.” This point underscores the organization’s stance that the proposed tax would exacerbate economic inequality within Kansas City.
As the campaign for and against the sales tax intensifies, KC Tenants’ efforts to mobilize the community and advocate for a rejection of the tax on April 2 are indicative of a broader struggle for justice and equity. The organization’s firm opposition, grounded in detailed research and democratic engagement, not only challenges the financial implications of the tax but also calls into question the ethical and moral considerations at play.
The vote on the stadium sales tax stands as a critical juncture for Kansas City, with KC Tenants positioning itself as a voice for the voiceless, fighting against the exploitation of public resources for private gain. As KC Tenants puts it, the fight against the stadium sales tax is a fight for “a better Kansas City, one where public resources are used for public good— for housing, schools, mental health services, transportation, and more.”
As the city heads to the polls, the outcome of this vote will not only determine the future of stadium funding but also signal the strength and resilience of community-led movements in shaping the direction of urban development and public policy.
