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Black mayor of Kansas City says he was called N-word, received death threat over mask rule

Mayor Quinton Lucas said he received texts containing "a racial slur" and "subtle death threat" after he announced a mask requirement to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Mayor Quinton Lucas talks to demonstrators during a rally on the steps of city hall in Kansas City, Mo., on June 5, 2020.
Mayor Quinton Lucas talks to demonstrators during a rally on the steps of city hall in Kansas City, Mo., on June 5, 2020.Charlie Riedel / AP file

The Black mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, said Monday that he received texts containing a racial slur and what he called a "subtle death threat" after he announced a citywide mask requirement to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Mayor Quinton Lucas posted a screenshot on Twitter of text messages he received telling him to “swing from a tree” and calling him the N-word.

“I’m not threatening it, but I would love to see it,” the message from an unidentified sender said.

One text also called Lucas an “idiot," saying he “walked with RIOTERS not wearing a mask,” apparently referring to the mayor’s participation in George Floyd protests.

The mayor also posted a picture of him holding a T-shirt for a radio station and next to it an altered version of the photo in which the T-shirt says “---- the police.”

Above the side-by-side images, Lucas wrote, "Social media and photo shop are always fascinating. To the many texting me aghast of fake photos circulating, I recommend you not believe everything a muckraker sends your way... and use some judgment."

In regard to the texted slur and threat, Lucas wrote, “Y’all, let’s do better.”

The mayor announced Friday a new requirement to wear masks in the city when six feet of social distancing is not possible, NBC affiliate KSHB in Kansas City reported. The rule went into effect Monday in the city of 491,000 people, shortly after it saw its highest daily tally of new cases.

Lucas told NBC News on Tuesday that the messages are "a sad reflection of where some people are in our country."

"What the hell does someone having a mask policy have to do with dropping N-bombs and talking about people hanging from a tree?" he asked. He also said he is frustrated by "how vitriolic the politics of masks" have become.

Lucas called the t-shirt photoshopping "the dumbest frickin' thing I’ve ever seen in my life."

"My god, am I at a point where I have to prove that I’m not actually a politician holding up an 'F the police' shirt? It's ridiculous," the mayor said, adding that he thinks he was "more upset about the fact that I felt the need to defend myself."

The Kansas City police told NBC News via email that the department is not currently investigating the incident because no police report was made.

A representative for Mayor Lucas said a detective conducted a welfare check at the home of the person who sent the threatening texts.