Calls to rename Troost Avenue to Truth face another setback at City Hall

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The name of one historic but controversial Kansas City street remains in limbo.

On Tuesday afternoon, residents and city officials met to discuss changing the name of Troost Avenue to Truth Avenue.

Troost is named after Benoist Troost, who was a co-founder of the town of Kansas, Missouri, which would later become Kansas City.

The controversy comes from Troost’s history as a slaveowner and the street’s status as a redline in Kansas City.

After hearing opinions from all sides on the issue, the committee voted to once again halt the renaming process. This would be the fourth time that the ordinance to change the name was shot down.

Supporters left the council chambers visibly upset with the decision.

“He owned people that looked like me, his name was honored in 1886. One hundred and thirty-nine years ago, and here in 2025 we cannot move past that,” reiterated Chris Goode.

Goode owns Ruby Jean’s Juicery off Troost and has been leading the fight to change Troost to Truth for over three years.

“The truth is this name is evil, it stands for evil, heinous acts, evil, evil,” he said.

During the meeting he and others voiced why it’s vital to finally change the name. Some supported his sentiments while others did not and said the process was not inclusive enough and history should not be erased.

Others threw out the idea of other names besides Truth, like Trust and Art.

FACT CHECK: Who Troost Avenue is named after as debates swirl about changing street name

“I proposed that we change it to Lincoln-Douglas after Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick M. Douglas.” said Claudia Toomim, a resident.

Councilwoman Melissa Robinson said deciding on another name would set them back even further. She said she plans to continue to fight for “Truth.”

“I think about the descendants of slaves, I think about those people who live along Troost, and I think about them writing that name every day as their address.”

Robinson said they have done everything to get this passed, holding forums, mailing surveys and gathering feedback. Still, there is no final vote.

“Justice delayed is justice denied and so this was a day of denial but that doesn’t mean that we’re not going to continue to fight, that doesn’t mean that we’re not going to continue to move on,” said Robinson.

Meanwhile Mayor Quinton Lucas, who set the motion to remove the ordinance off the docket, said his main priority remains improving quality of life along Troost.

“What they sent me here to do was to make sure the buses are better on Troost, our businesses are safer on Troost, that we’re building more economic development on Troost,” said Mayor Lucas.

For now, the signs stay the same and the movement to get it changed is far from over.

“Black people are exhausted. We’re tired of having to prove to be enough, it’s exhausting, what will it take, what will it take for us to be seen as equal? What will it take? asked Goode.

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