A Black Kansas City entrepreneur says he was pushed to abandon plans for a new nightclub after it was labeled as racist by a local soccer supporters group—made up largely of white, liberal women—who argued the venue’s name was offensive. Casio McCombs said he felt “deeply disappointed” after shelving his proposal to open a club called Sundown HiFi, following backlash from KC Blue Crew, a fan group supporting the KC Current women’s soccer team. The Daily Mail reports.
Members of the group took issue with the word “sundown,” used by the Kansas businessman, linking it to so-called “sundown towns”— a 19th-century term used to describe all-white communities that enforced racial segregation and threatened Black individuals who remained after dark. The nightclub had been planned as part of a development known as Current Landing, located near CPKC Stadium. The supporters group issued a statement warning that the name could cast a negative light over the surrounding sports district.
A local football fan club comprised mainly of liberal white women complained that the name was ‘racist’ https://t.co/zhR0RQSAzB 🔗 pic.twitter.com/GIg3gBBc4d
— Daily Mail US (@Daily_MailUS) April 1, 2026
“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,” the group said. “Missouri has had a particularly violent history of sundown towns so it is especially disturbing for a team located in Missouri to choose to name a night club establishment for people to gather at on its grounds, after dark, Sundown Lounge,” the group added.
The Kansas businessman said the criticism ultimately derailed the project, arguing that his vision had been “reduced, misinterpreted and ultimately stripped away – largely by voices outside of the community it was meant to represent.” He added, “What kind of creativity are we actually willing to support? And who do we allow to shape it?”
McCombs said the choice of the name “Sundown” was deliberate and never meant to reference or endorse the region’s racist past.
“I am more than aware of the painful history connected to the phrase ‘sundown’ in certain contexts, particularly the phrase ‘sundown town,’” the Kansas businessman said in his own statement. “That history is real, and it matters. At the same time, I believe it is deeply unfortunate to allow that history to permanently taint language that describes one of the most universal human experiences imaginable,” he added.
Liberal white women bully hardworking black businessman into dumping plans for new nightclub after screeching that the name he chose was RACIST https://t.co/kcy69rZP27
— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) April 1, 2026
In its statement opposing the nightclub owned by the Kansas black businessman, KC Blue Crew did not acknowledge that the project was being led by a Black business owner. The group instead urged local leaders to “take ownership of their mistake” in allowing the venue to move forward.
“(They should) 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,” the group said.
The supporters’ club further noted it was “not lost on us” that the nightclub announcement came around the same time the KC Current revealed it would not host a Juneteenth-themed celebration this season.
Speaking to KCTV5, McCombs said he resisted calls to rebrand the club, maintaining that the “name is still essential to the project.”
“I didn’t want to water down the project and its intention. As a creative, you build with a sense of direction and emotion. It takes time to pivot on these things. The name itself is very much to describe the sun going down. That part was very intentional. As the sun goes down, your senses are heightened. It wasn’t done with ill intent. I don’t think it was an oversight on my part,” McCombs added.
Reflecting on his background, the Kansas businessman said, “The interesting reality of growing up in the south, it helped me figure out where power really lies as far as language goes. I wanted this to be an opportunity for other people to see the word sundown doesn’t have to control or push emotions. My hope was to tie it to the music. Reclamation is a huge thing.”
He explained the concept was meant to “commemorate the universal gathering that happens around that time,” hoping people would associate it with sunset rather than America’s racial history. “I strongly believe in the power of being able to rewrite narratives but we’ve heard you and understand that not everyone holds that belief,” he said.
Without directly naming the critics, the Kansas businessman added that the backlash felt like “the stifling of a creative expression coming directly from someone within that very community. “That is a difficult contradiction to sit with,” he said.
