Former Kansas City security guard sues City Hall for alleged racial discrimination
A former security guard at City Hall is suing Kansas City over alleged racial discrimination, saying Black guards are more harshly criticized and disciplined than their white counterparts.
In a federal lawsuit, Roshanda Smith said her manager, who is not named as a defendant, “continually” held her and other Black security guards to a different standard than their white coworkers. Smith was admonished at work almost daily, according to her lawsuit, which alleged that other Black guards were also harassed.
A spokesman for Kansas City did not reply to The Star’s request for comment.
Smith worked for a private security company, Uniguard/ISS, which is not named as a defendant, according to the suit. It claims the security guards were managed by a Kansas City employee who was responsible for unequal treatment that Black guards faced.
For example, the manager wrote up Smith and another Black guard after an employee without a badge walked through a checkpoint, according to the petition. But white guards who previously allowed the same employee through without a badge were not disciplined, the suit claims.
“Black security guards including Smith were also criticized for allegedly not wanding visitors correctly, while the white security guards would not be disciplined for minimal wanding or failing to wand at all,” Smith’s attorneys wrote.
Other allegations include the contention that Black guards were unfairly criticized and made to patrol outside in below freezing temperatures while white employees were not. The manager would watch Black security guards “on camera while white security guards were not being similarly monitored,” the lawsuit says, and the manager would also monitor how Smith parked at City Hall.
Smith said she complained but the discrimination and retaliation continued. Another manager allegedly told her his “hands were tied.” After that supervisor met with the harassing manager, Smith was told she had to leave City Hall, resulting in her termination.
The suit alleges the city’s practices disrupted the work of Black guards and set them up to be disciplined or fired. It additionally claims the city failed to investigative discrimination.
Smith’s lawsuit was initially filed in November in Jackson County Circuit Court but it was moved Friday to federal court in the Western District of Missouri.
