Tulsa: Looking Back, Looking Forward | Not in Our Town

Tulsa: Looking Back, Looking Forward

“It’s preliminary to determine what the motivation was behind this. If the evidence supports that, and we believe that we can prove the elements of a hate crime, that will certainly be considered at the appropriate time.” 

—Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris

Read, "Tulsa: Faith Leaders, Law Enforcement Act Quickly After Shooting Spree."

Local police and FBI agents say it’s premature to call the shooting spree in Tulsa, Okla.'s predominately Black north Tulsa a hate crime.

In the media, much attention is being paid to 19-year-old Jacob England, one of the two shooters who confessed this week, and whether he was motivated by revenge for his father’s death. Two years prior, prosecutors say Englad's father was fatally shot by a black man. Records show it was self-defense.

For some, the Good Friday shootings provide an opportunity to review Tulsa’s complex past (see “Tulsa's complex racial history revisited in wake of shootings”). The Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 is considered one of the single worst incidents of racial violence in American history. Over an 18-hour period, the state’s second-largest African-American community had been burned to the ground, with deaths estimated between 50 to 300. The city had to be placed under martial law.
 
One of the surviving victims of the Good Friday Shootings, Deon Tucker, has encouraged his fellow Tulsans to move on. "I don't want revenge," he said. "I don't believe in revenge. That just leaves more people dead." 
 
Helping and Honoring the Victims and Families
 
 
Source: Tulsa World. Tulsan Krystal Tattershall places a memorial on Monday at the scene where her neighbor Bobby Clark was shot to death. MIKE SIMONS / Tulsa World
 
Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry announced Monday that it has set up a fund to benefit the families of the five shooting victims. Tax-deductible donations will be divided evenly among the five families. To help or to get more information, contact Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry at 918-582-3147 or via email at info@tumm.org
 
A community march and memorial this Sunday, April 15, will honor the victims: Dannaer Fields, Bobby Clark and William Allen. The remembrance will begin at 7 p.m. at the McLain Shopping Center on 5200 North Peoria. Organizers said, “A loss for one is a loss for all. Let’s stand together in the spirit, of love, community, and respect for those who were senselessly murdered in our community.” Community members are encouraged to bring flowers and candles. 

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