Posted on Sep 3, 2020
Oklahoma Lawsuit Seeks Reparations In Connection To 1921 Tulsa Massacre
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A lawsuit filed by a group of Oklahomans is seeking reparations from the city of Tulsa and other local government entities for the ongoing devastation caused by one of the most heinous race massacres in U.S. history nearly 100 years ago.
The plaintiffs include relatives of those affected by the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre as well as a 105-year-old survivor, Lessie Benningfield Randle, who suffers from "emotional and physical distress that continues to this day," according to the complaint filed this week in Tulsa County District Court.
"For a long time, the word 'reparations' was a non-starter, but it is finally losing its taboo," Damario Solomon-Simmons, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said in a recent Los Angeles Times op-ed. "The urgency of the protests across America shows that reforms won't last unless we pay for the crimes of the past."
As many as 300 African American residents were slaughtered when white mobs descended on Tulsa's Greenwood district. Hundreds of homes and businesses were looted and torched, reducing much of the 35-square-block section of the city, commonly referred to as Black Wall Street, to rubble.
The plaintiffs include relatives of those affected by the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre as well as a 105-year-old survivor, Lessie Benningfield Randle, who suffers from "emotional and physical distress that continues to this day," according to the complaint filed this week in Tulsa County District Court.
"For a long time, the word 'reparations' was a non-starter, but it is finally losing its taboo," Damario Solomon-Simmons, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said in a recent Los Angeles Times op-ed. "The urgency of the protests across America shows that reforms won't last unless we pay for the crimes of the past."
As many as 300 African American residents were slaughtered when white mobs descended on Tulsa's Greenwood district. Hundreds of homes and businesses were looted and torched, reducing much of the 35-square-block section of the city, commonly referred to as Black Wall Street, to rubble.
Oklahoma Lawsuit Seeks Reparations In Connection To 1921 Tulsa Massacre
Posted from npr.org
Tulsa
Lawsuit
American History
Racism
Posted >1 y ago
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Last survivor? No question. Compensate her. Relatives of victims? Yes. Now, what else are they looking for? A donation to BLM? Maybe Jesse Jackson's "church"? And, to be fair, who will be paying? The perpetrators? No. They're probably moldering in their graves. Their children and grandchildren? Possibly, it they still live there. The children and grandchildren of citizens of Tulsa who stood by and allowed it to happen? Sure, why not? How about current black residents? What? You think the city is going to reach into their coffers and pick out only those funds paid by whites? And keep in mind that every cent paid in compensation will detract from other city expenses such as projects and programs that help all citizens of the city including blacks as well as whites. I only mention all of this to remind everyone that there's more to think about than may appear at first blush
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