Overland Park has started the legal process of removing historically racist deed restrictions on residential property records in older parts of the city. A century ago, racist covenants barred Black and Jewish people from owning homes in some communities but haven’t been enforceable for decades. Still, the offensive language has remained on property records like plats, deeds and neighborhood declarations. Last week, the Overland Park City Council Community Development Committee unanimously voted to recommend the city take the first step in releasing such restrictive covenants. City staff described the action as mostly symbolic since the original documents won’t be changed, but according to city documents, it does allow Overland Park to “express that [the covenants] are inconsistent with the city’s values.”
Source: Johnson County Post
