A civil right is an enforceable right or privilege, which if interfered with by another gives rise to an action for injury. Examples of civil rights are freedom of speech, press, and assembly; the right to vote; freedom from involuntary servitude; and the right to equality in public places. Discrimination occurs when the civil rights of an individual are denied or interfered with because of their membership in a particular group or class. Statutes have been enacted to prevent discrimination based on race, sex, religion, age, previous condition of servitude, physical limitation, national origin, and in some instances sexual preference. Civil rights attorneys handle cases involving the rights of individuals to be free from unequal treatment (or discrimination) based on legally-protected characteristics such as race, gender, disability, national origin, age, sexual orientation, and religion. Civil rights cases can arise in a number of settings -- including employment, housing, lending, and education.
Shawnee Mission, Kansas is a name created by the United States Postal Service to describe an area of Johnson County, Kansas that contains numerous towns. Parts of southern Overland Park are not part of Shawnee Mission as they were annexed from unincorporated Stanley and use zip code 66085. The following towns are included in this area. Countryside Fairway Lake Quivira (the northern part is in Wyandotte County, Kansas) Leawood Lenexa Merriam Mission Mission Hills Mission Woods Overland Park Prairie Village Roeland Park Shawnee Stanley (unincorporated) Westwood Westwood Hills The name Shawnee Mission derives from the Shawnee Methodist Mission, a mission to the Shawnee tribe, founded in 1830 in present-day Wyandotte County, Kansas by the Methodist church. The mission was moved to what is now Johnson County in 1839. The county was named for Rev. Thomas Johnson, the first missionary sent by the church. The Shawnee Mission School District encompasses most of the area. If the independent cities that constitute Shawnee Mission were to incorporate into a single municipality, its 2005 population estimate would be 355,260 (up from 325,147 in 2000), and would surpass Wichita as Kansas' largest city. Shawnee Mission is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.