The Oklahoma Eagle Newswire
Civil rights organizations, policing reform advocates, and religious leaders will convene a community-led public hearing to discuss the Tulsa Equality Indicators 2018 Annual Report, which found that Black residents are arrested more than twice as often as White residents and are more likely to be victims of officer use of force than all other racial groups. The groups are hosting the event since Mayor G.T. Bynum and the City Council have not yet held a public hearing, despite repeated requests from concerned Tulsans who want to see the city address the findings of racial disparities in policing practices.
During the hearing, researchers and policing reform experts will outline the findings and methodology of the Tulsa Equality Indicators report, and Tulsa residents will have an opportunity to share their experiences with the Tulsa Police Department, including the use of force, arrests, and other encounters with law enforcement. Speakers will also be invited to share ideas for eliminating racial bias and discrimination in policing practices in Tulsa.
The order of the panels and names of the panelists are included below. If you would like to request an interview with any of the event’s organizers, please contact David Jacobs at 212-965-2213 or djacobs@naacpldf.org.
• NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF)
• The Terence Crutcher Foundation
• ACLU of Oklahoma
• North Side United Coalition of Clergy
• The United League for Social Action (TULSA)
• Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons
WHAT:
Community-led public hearing on racially-biased policing in Tulsa
WHERE:
36th Street North Event Center
1125 E 36th St North
Tulsa, OK 74106
WHEN :
Thursday, March 7, 2019, 6:00 p.m. CT (doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
PANELS (subject to change):
Moderators: Jill Webb , ACLU of Oklahoma; and Monique Dixon , LDF
Policing Reform Researchers Panel – Melanie Poulter , Community Service Council; Rev. Gerald Davis , The United League for Social Action (TULSA); and Laura Bellis , Chair of Human Rights Commission City of Tulsa Public Comment Period Policing and Civil Rights Panel – Drew Diamond , former police chief Tulsa Police Department; and Damario Solomon-Simmons , Esq. Public Comment Period
