KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland, including Liberty. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.
—
A Black-owned hifi lounge will no longer open at Current Landing in Kansas City, Mo., after controversy over what the owner planned to name the lounge.
Sundown HiFi was announced on Friday as a sensory-driven audio bar.
But by Monday, owner Casio McCombs announced on Instagram the lounge would not be coming to the $1 billion riverfront district being built around the CPKC stadium.
"It's a bummer," McCombs said.
The KC Blue Crew, the official supporters group of the KC Current soccer club, reached out to KSHB 41 News about the Sundown HiFi. The group called the name of the lounge racist and insensitive.
I requested an interview with the KC Blue Crew, but they referred me back to their statement. In text messages, they said their goal was simply for the name to be changed, not for the business to close.
In their statement, the group also called on KC Current leadership and Palmer Square Real Estate Management, Current Landing's co-developers, to "take ownership of the mistake,"
select a different name, and publicly acknowledge what they will do to highlight the "rich history and accomplishments of our city’s African American population."
I reached out to Current Landing, but they declined to comment. The KC Current is not affiliated with the development.
McCombs, who's also a DJ, said the name was chosen intentionally, not to ignore the history of sundown towns, but to confront it.
"During a certain time in American history, there were towns that forced Black people to not be out at night," McCombs said. "While someone has used that term to push hate, violence, and oppressive systems, I don't think that always has to be the meaning of the word."
McCombs said the concept of reclamation was misinterpreted.
"It wouldn't make much sense for anyone to believe that a Black man opening a business has racist intentions toward Black people," McCombs said.
McCombs expressed frustration with how quickly the backlash unfolded online.
"I think I'm a little disappointed," he said. "I think they had good intentions in what they're doing. However, I just think sometimes it’s in the internet's nature to be rewarded for being quick and not thorough."
When asked why he did not just change the name, McCombs pointed to the concept's purpose.
"I think there’s a lot of intentionality behind the name," McCombs said. "The discussion that everyone's currently having was something I was hoping that we could have as part of the concept, but not be the sole entire focus of whether the concept is worth pursuing or not."
Now, McCombs is deciding what comes next.
"I would love to open Sundown," McCombs said. "Maybe it’s just not right now."
Read KC Blue Crew Statement in full below:
In the year 2026, the history of America and its African American population is not unknown.
The use of the name “Sundown” for a dance club is not only racist, but incredibly insensitive to the history of the area in which this team resides. Missouri has had a particularly violent history of sundown towns so it is especially disturbing for a team located in Missouri to chose to name a night club establishment for people to gather at on its grounds, after dark, Sundown Lounge.
We ask that KC Current Leadership and Palmer Square Real Estate Management take ownership of their mistake and not only select a different name for the venue, but also publicly acknowledge what they will be doing as an organization to help bring to light the incredibly rich history and accomplishments of our city’s African American population instead of bringing attention to the city and state’s racist history. It is not lost on us that the name of this night club was announced just weeks after the team’s theme nights were released showing that they will not be highlighting Juneteenth this season.
Once again, Blue Crew rejects any and all racist efforts, not just in soccer, but in our society. We love our team, our city, and our neighbors too much to remain silent on this.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
—
