Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Tulsa Race Massacre Case for Reparations, Dismissed by Oklahoma Judge

Descendants of the victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921 were devastated when Oklahoma Judge Caroline Wall dismissed the case calling for reparations for the lynching that happened more than a century ago.

As a background, a section of Tulsa, Oklahoma had a thriving African-American community at the start of the 20th century. The district was called Greenwood, and most of the population was comprised of freed slaves and their families.

Greenwood, the “Wall Street” of Tulsa, Oklahoma

In 1921, Greenwood was a bustling district with African-American-owned businesses. However, everything changed for the community after an allegation of assault was thrown by the Tulsa Tribune to a resident of Greenwood. According to the Tribune article, Sarah Page, a white girl, was assaulted by Dick Rowland, an African-American shoeshine boy.

The publication led white extremists to march to Greenwood where they pillaged, looted, and killed the residents indiscriminately. The attack left 35 city blocks virtually leveled, with over 190 businesses destroyed and more than 10,000 black families displaced from their homes with nowhere to go. It is believed that the number of casualties from the mob attack was between 75-300 people. This all occurred within 18 hours.

Quest for Reparations and the Tulsa Race Case

Tulsa Race Massacre
African-American surrenderers after the Tulsa Race Riot in 1921. By SMU Central University Libraries via Wikimedia Commons.

The Tulsa Race Massacre, although devastating, wasn’t brought to the national stage until a few decades ago. Most people who have never been to Tulsa didn’t know about its grim past. But for several decades, the survivors of the incident and their families have called for reparations and recognition of what happened. The city has erected monuments to commemorate the lives lost to the attack.

For the last three remaining survivors of the Tulsa massacre, however, monuments are not enough. Although past their hundreds, the survivors launched a lawsuit calling for reparations for the descendants of the victims.

They filed the case under the Public Nuisance Law of Oklahoma. Their main contention is that the Tulsa Race Massacre, although happened more than a century ago, still affects the present-day community. The survivors also cited that the victims were never compensated by the insurance companies and the city for their losses in business, and even their lives at the hands of the mob.

The survivors were optimistic because last year, Wall, the same judge that dismissed the case last week, ruled to let the suit move forward. However, in a change of heart, she dismissed it saying that her decision is based on the arguments from the city and other government branches.

Everyone from the lawyers to the survivors themselves was left devastated by the decision. According to the lawyers of the plaintiffs, they have yet to read the judge’s full notes on the dismissal. However, the suing party is not fully disheartened. They are already planning to appeal the decision, the lawyers said.

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