The city of Tulsa has experienced some of the most notable historical injustices in this country's history. Despite many efforts to combat these injustices, the city government has yet to improve and implement these efforts effectively, leaving many Tulsans feeling ignored as these injustices continue to occur. We have shouted the names of Joshua Barré, Joshua Harvey, Terence Crutcher, and more, only to face unmet promises and lack of action from the City of Tulsa.
For this reason, we have pulled together recommendations provided by the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund in a report that calls to end over-policing of Black communities and transform public safety in Tulsa. These recommendations were chosen because they serve as a guideline to create a safer community for our children and families and remedy current racial disparities. The complete list of recommendations can be found along with the full report here; and below, we have highlighted those most pressing at this moment:
The City Must Reduce its Reliance on Policing and TPD must Reduce its Disproportionate arrests of Black Tulsans
The Mayor, City Council, and TPD Must Create a Plan to End Racial Disparities in Use of Force
TPD Must Limit its Interactions with Youth to Prevent their Involvement in the Criminal Legal System
City Officials Must Adopt and Implement Community Oversight Mechanisms to Hold Officers Accountable for Misconduct
Terence's life mattered and these recommendations are necessary for Tulsa's ability to thrive as a growing city. As stated in the report, TPD disproportionately arrests Black Tulsans for traffic offenses and disorderly conduct when they make up just 14% of the cities' population. This has created a culture of fear of police rooted in mistreatment and hyper-policing. Mayor GT Bynum and other city officials agreed to several demands to improve these conditions in a meeting with community leaders.
These demands were to:
Implement an Office of an Independent Monitor Over TPD with Citizen Oversight and Investigatory Power
Divest from Enforcement and Invest in Mental Health and Diversion Services
Immediately Terminate the City of Tulsa's Contract with Live PD
Provide Justice to the Families of Terence Crutcher, Joshua Harvey & Joshua Barré
Over a year later, and the city has followed through on only one of these demands, which was to end the contract with Live PD, a television program that exploited our Black, brown, and poor residents for profit. The City of Tulsa has taken no further action.
Sign the Petition to show your commitment to these efforts: We deserve a just Tulsa, where all people are treated fairly and will not be violently targeted by racially biased policing.