Growing north-south divide in KC is a lot like the old North-South divide in the US

Troost Avenue used to be the racial and political dividing line in Kansas City. But it’s the Missouri River, which divides north from south, that’s the new Troost.

That became clearer in the past week, after Mayor Quinton Lucas pushed his much-needed police reform plan through the City Council. The reallocation of $42 million in police department funds enjoyed widespread support south of the river, including from prominent civil rights groups.

But it was a much different story north of the river. All four Northland council members vigorously opposed the plan, and mischaracterized it. Northland Republicans in the Missouri legislature vowed to overturn the mayor’s decision.

Talk of secession has escalated in recent weeks. And we’d all lose if our new North made that Old South move.

There has always been inherent tension between Kansas City, north, and south Kansas City. Kansas City, north, is more Republican, suburban and white. Its police needs center on break-ins and car accident response times rather than shootings and robberies.

Northlanders are convinced they get far less from City Hall than they contribute.

South of the river is Democratic, generally poorer and more ethnically diverse. Employment and housing are bigger issues. The vast majority of killings happen south of the river, which is why policing is such an issue in the urban core.

If districts south of the river get more resources, it’s because the needs are greater.

For many years, this tension was undercut by a political reality: South Kansas City had more people, and therefore more City Council votes. Lacking a majority, Northland council members were content to protect local projects while acquiescing to broader urban concerns.

But Kansas City is changing. People are moving north. The 2020 census, out this fall, is expected to provide at least one more Northland council member, and maybe two.

That could mean a City Council divided 6-6, north and south. Had such a division been in place last week, the police debate would have ended very differently.

More importantly, if — when — the Northland has as many council members as south, the fights over police, city programs, federal aid distribution, transportation and even snow and trash removal could grow.

And because of demographics — white people north of the river, Black and Latino people south — those battles will carry racial overtones.

That would make the ongoing police reform fight look like only a preview of coming attractions. In fact, the divide that became more obvious in the last week could define local politics for a generation.

It is imperative that public figures on both sides of the river understand this dynamic, and work to resolve some of their differences before the next council elections. Uniting both halves of Kansas City around an agenda of equity, inclusion and growth is imperative.

Every council candidate, and every mayoral candidate, should explain his or her view of what brings Kansas City together, not what could tear it apart. Single-issue candidates, or those focused on national rather than local concerns, should be discounted.

That means drawing new City Council districts that unite communities rather than divide them. Talk of electing all 12 members from separate districts will likely be postponed. (“Be careful what you wish for,” one Northlander said, suggesting all in-district council races would attract extremists from both sides.)

At the same time, inclusion matters. Kansas City has lacked a Latino council member for decades, and new city districts must address that inequity.

Perhaps you’ve heard of the “big sort” — the idea that people are moving to places where they share political views with their neighbors. That’s the case here: Kansas City, north, is white and red, Kansas City, south, is Black and blue.

But that dynamic threatens Kansas City’s future in ways that Kansas Citians on both sides of the river should keep in mind. Otherwise, the divide on display this last week will only grow worse.