K-C Radio: Former Talk Host Sues Kansas City Mayor

A former non-co KCUR radio host, Hartzell Gray, has filed a First Amendment retaliation lawsuit on Wednesday in Jackson County Circuit Court against Kansas City, Mayor Quinton Lucas, and his former chief of staff, Morgan Said. 

Gray alleges that Lucas and Said tried to have him fired from KCUR after he joined a KC Tenants protest at City Hall in August 2022. 

Hartzell Gray

The protest, attended by about 50 KC Tenants members, disrupted a council meeting over an ordinance backed by Lucas that eased affordable housing rules for developers. Gray claims Said called KCUR’s news director, Lisa Rodriguez, that night, suggesting Gray’s activism could harm the station’s reputation.

 Gray says KCUR then cut his weekend shift, costing him pay and sparking fears of further retaliation.

 The suit also alleges Said followed up to check on KCUR’s response and that the station acted to avoid upsetting the mayor and risking City Hall access. 

A text from Rodriguez to Gray, cited in the suit, called Said’s actions “not cool” but urged Gray to support causes without complicating the newsroom’s work. Gray left KCUR in fall 2023, though it’s unclear if he was fired or resigned. 

He later posted on X in 2024, claiming he was “fired for (his) advocacy,” possibly referring to his role as Sporting KC emcee, which he also no longer holds.