Branjae, Musician & Protester. TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Tulsa Protest
Honoring The Past;
Protesting The Present
As Tulsans gathered this past week to mark the 99th occasion of the massacre that destroyed Tulsa’s “Black Wall Street” in 1921, protesters of every hue, ethnicity, age, religious faith and social-economic demographic united as one to march for yet another set tragic crimes against African Americans: the murders of George Floyd in Minneapolis; Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky; and Ahmaud Arbery in Glynn County, Georgia.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Say It Loud
BY DOMINIC “DUKE” DURANT, CONTRIBUTOR
The writer provides a first-person account why he marched, and how the recent event in Tulsa and nationally have impacted him.
The 21st century America has hit the poor, marginalized and minority communities hard. With the rush to robotic labor, combined with the complete depletion of local farmer producer ecosystems, leading to gross depletion of healthy resources for the majority of communities across the United States. This degradation has led to a host of frictions and inequities amongst the people.
Say It Loud
Dominic ‘Duke’ Durant, Contributor
The writer provides a first-person account why he marched, and how the recent event in Tulsa and nationally have impacted him.
Saturday, 30 May at 1:04 PM
Protesters close down a stretch of Peoria Avenue in the Brookside District.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Fast forward to now, June 2020, as we near 2021, we’re witnessing a powerful tide rolling in, created from the many storms that are out there. A global coronavirus pandemic. Racism. Continued government apathy, and negligence toward the murder of black men and women that is triggering protests here, nationwide and globally.
With the weight of all of these externalities combined with personal traumas in my own life, on Saturday, May 30, I walked up to a sea of concerned protesters near Tulsa’s Brookside District. A few thoughts and emotions struck me.
Saturday, 30 May at 1:04 PM
Protesters close down a stretch of Peoria Avenue in the Brookside District.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Fast forward to now, June 2020, as we near 2021, we’re witnessing a powerful tide rolling in, created from the many storms that are out there. A global coronavirus pandemic. Racism. Continued government apathy, and negligence toward the murder of black men and women that is triggering protests here, nationwide and globally.
With the weight of all of these externalities combined with personal traumas in my own life, on Saturday, May 30, I walked up to a sea of concerned protesters near Tulsa’s Brookside District. A few thoughts and emotions struck me.
Saturday, 30 May at 1:06 PM
Protesters close down a stretch of Peoria Avenue in the Brookside District.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Saturday, 30 May at 1:06 PM
Protesters close down a stretch of Peoria Avenue in the Brookside District.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Saturday, 30 May at 1:08 PM
The Rev. Dr. Robert Turner, of Vernon AME Church, speaks at a rally as protesters walk through the Brookside District.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Saturday, 30 May at 1:08 PM
The Rev. Dr. Robert Turner, of Vernon AME Church, speaks at a rally as protesters walk through the Brookside District.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Saturday, 30 May at 1:58 PM
Four men sharing prophetic messages and scripture.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Saturday, 30 May at 1:58 PM
Four men sharing prophetic messages and scripture.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Saturday, 30 May at 1:58 PM
Performers and marchers stand in front of the Black Wall Street Memorial’s Pioneers Garden dedicated to the African American Tulsans who were murdered and businesses destroyed during the 1921 race massacre.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
“Why are there so many different people here for a black people problem?”
Then, that thought immediately left as soon as it came. My next thought was, “This wasn’t caused by black people solely being black!” This is America’s long history of disdain to care for one race, turning our stomachs so much that we’re moved to leave our homes during a pandemic, and risk it all for the vision of change.
When will our lives matter?
Something I noticed over three days of protests is that there is almost an equal number, if not more, white people protesting on the behalf of blacks. This was a surprise to me, as I didn’t think this many white people cared about our lives.
Saturday, 30 May at 1:58 PM
Performers and marchers stand in front of the Black Wall Street Memorial’s Pioneers Garden dedicated to the African American Tulsans who were murdered and businesses destroyed during the 1921 race massacre.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
“Why are there so many different people here for a black people problem?”
Then, that thought immediately left as soon as it came. My next thought was, “This wasn’t caused by black people solely being black!” This is America’s long history of disdain to care for one race, turning our stomachs so much that we’re moved to leave our homes during a pandemic, and risk it all for the vision of change.
When will our lives matter?
Something I noticed over three days of protests is that there is almost an equal number, if not more, white people protesting on the behalf of blacks. This was a surprise to me, as I didn’t think this many white people cared about our lives.
Saturday, 30 May at 2:26 PM
The Rev. Dr. Robert Turner, of Vernon AME Church, leads peaceful protestors walking south from Peoria Avenue and up onto westbound Interstate 44 to block traffic ensuring Tulsa hears their message loud and clear.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Saturday, 30 May at 2:26 PM
The Rev. Dr. Robert Turner, of Vernon AME Church, leads peaceful protestors walking south from Peoria Avenue and up onto westbound Interstate 44 to block traffic ensuring Tulsa hears their message loud and clear.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Saturday, 30 May at 2:44 PM
Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers block westbound Interstate 44 as “We Can’t Breathe” protesters march against police brutality leading to deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day and numerous other black Americans.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Whose fault is this? Standing on Brookside, I would expect whites to be there, but not to be over-speaking our black voices. Chants and chatter of, “No justice! No Peace!” “Black lives matter!” Two different chants going at the same time, nearly in opposition to each other.
Much of our disturbed disposition in America is due to a known lack of equal opportunity to education, opportunity and dignity. I had to do something. So, I moved into the middle of the crowd and decided I would be the bridge to getting discordant halves of protestors unified on the same chant.
We listened to the person with the megaphone in the front and echoed the words to the people in the back. Now, we were cohesive.
Now, we were saying the same thing.
On the other side of town Monday night, youth descended on the Woodland Hills area. I went only to get my young cousins to go home before they ended up getting into trouble.
Saturday, 30 May at 2:44 PM
Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers block westbound Interstate 44 as “We Can’t Breathe” protesters march against police brutality leading to deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day and numerous other black Americans.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Whose fault is this? Standing on Brookside, I would expect whites to be there, but not to be over-speaking our black voices. Chants and chatter of, “No justice! No Peace!” “Black lives matter!” Two different chants going at the same time, nearly in opposition to each other.
Much of our disturbed disposition in America is due to a known lack of equal opportunity to education, opportunity and dignity. I had to do something. So, I moved into the middle of the crowd and decided I would be the bridge to getting discordant halves of protestors unified on the same chant.
We listened to the person with the megaphone in the front and echoed the words to the people in the back. Now, we were cohesive.
Now, we were saying the same thing.
On the other side of town Monday night, youth descended on the Woodland Hills area. I went only to get my young cousins to go home before they ended up getting into trouble.
Saturday, 30 May at 2:50 PM
The Rev Dr. Robert Turner, of Vernon AME Church, posted on Facebook this reply to Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum.
The letter begins, “Yesterday, we marched 4.5 miles in 85 degree weather on city streets and federal highways; chanting in remembrance of George Floyd, Terrance Crutcher, Joshua Barre, Eric Harris, Sandra Bland, Treyvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery, Medgar Evers, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and countless other innocent African Americans whose lives were taken by racists in power — their perpetrators not brought to justice.
Protestors of all races, ages, and religions marched through the streets together in support of a change long overdue. No violence. No vandalism. Just love.”
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Saturday, 30 May at 2:50 PM
The Rev Dr. Robert Turner, of Vernon AME Church, posted on Facebook this reply to Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum.
The letter begins, “Yesterday, we marched 4.5 miles in 85 degree weather on city streets and federal highways; chanting in remembrance of George Floyd, Terrance Crutcher, Joshua Barre, Eric Harris, Sandra Bland, Treyvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery, Medgar Evers, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and countless other innocent African Americans whose lives were taken by racists in power — their perpetrators not brought to justice.
Protestors of all races, ages, and religions marched through the streets together in support of a change long overdue. No violence. No vandalism. Just love.”
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Saturday, 30 May at 4:18 PM
Tulsa Police Department atop Brook Restaurant & Bar in the Brookside District, as marchers makes their way back to 36th Street and Peoria Avenue.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
These kids are upset, angry.
And in the bigger scheme of things, I was thinking in retrospect that this tear gas or pepper balls will burn their eyes. But when you know it’s going to come, and you keep going back and keep going back just to get peppered sprayed, these kids are angry, and obviously the tear gas doesn’t hurt as much as their anger does.
This could be due to racial issues, social economic issues, feeling like they are not being heard.
A protest is a perfect thing for people not being heard, however it needs to be organized. When I asked them what they wanted, they said “justice.”
I said there are four items we demanded from the mayor’s office, and we got leverage on them today. It’s time to go home. They still wanted to stay. It could have been a lot worse.
I’m glad I stopped it.
I’m human.
Dominic ‘Duke’ Durant was born and raised in North Tulsa, is a 2008 Booker T. Washington High School, graduate, a Navy veteran and owner of Esquire’s Court.
Saturday, 30 May at 4:18 PM
Tulsa Police Department atop Brook Restaurant & Bar in the Brookside District, as marchers makes their way back to 36th Street and Peoria Avenue.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
These kids are upset, angry.
And in the bigger scheme of things, I was thinking in retrospect that this tear gas or pepper balls will burn their eyes. But when you know it’s going to come, and you keep going back and keep going back just to get peppered sprayed, these kids are angry, and obviously the tear gas doesn’t hurt as much as their anger does.
This could be due to racial issues, social economic issues, feeling like they are not being heard.
A protest is a perfect thing for people not being heard, however it needs to be organized. When I asked them what they wanted, they said “justice.”
I said there are four items we demanded from the mayor’s office, and we got leverage on them today. It’s time to go home. They still wanted to stay. It could have been a lot worse.
I’m glad I stopped it.
I’m human.
Dominic ‘Duke’ Durant was born and raised in North Tulsa, is a 2008 Booker T. Washington High School, graduate, a Navy veteran and owner of Esquire’s Court.
Saturday, 30 May at 4:19 PM
Self-identified members of “Sons of Liberty” join march in the Brookside District.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Saturday, 30 May at 4:19 PM
Self-identified members of “Sons of Liberty” join march in the Brookside District.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunday, 31 May at 4:52 PM
Marchers kneel for 99 seconds of silence to commemorate the 99th occasion of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunday, 31 May at 4:52 PM
Marchers kneel for 99 seconds of silence to commemorate the 99th occasion of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunday, 31 May at 5:41 PM
The March (Sunday) began at the site of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, to honor the lives of those violently murdered, past and present.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunday, 31 May at 5:41 PM
The March (Sunday) began at the site of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, to honor the lives of those violently murdered, past and present.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunday, 31 May at 6:01 PM
About 1,000 demonstrators protested on Interstate 244 just minutes after a pickup truck, with a livestock trailer in tow, drove his vehicle into the crowd. The act prompted one demonstrator to write this sign on the spot.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunday, 31 May at 6:01 PM
About 1,000 demonstrators protested on Interstate 244 just minutes after a pickup truck, with a livestock trailer in tow, drove his vehicle into the crowd. The act prompted one demonstrator to write this sign on the spot.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunday, 31 May at 6:12 PM
Marchers attempted to stop the pickup truck with trailer in tow as it tried to accelerate through the crowd on westbound Interstate 244 in downtown Tulsa.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunday, 31 May at 6:12 PM
Marchers attempted to stop the pickup truck with trailer in tow as it tried to accelerate through the crowd on westbound Interstate 244 in downtown Tulsa.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunday, 31 May at 6:36 PM
Local activist Kolby Webster’s bicycle was being struck by the truck driver. “When the driver started moving through the crowd and eventually running over someone’s ankle and my bike, it spoke volumes,” Webster wrote in a first-person account provided to The Oklahoma Eagle. “When trolls online empathized with horses and right-of-way laws over human lives, it spoke volumes. There is a level to it that I’m still processing and trying to come to terms with.”
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunday, 31 May at 6:36 PM
Local activist Kolby Webster’s bicycle was being struck by the truck driver. “When the driver started moving through the crowd and eventually running over someone’s ankle and my bike, it spoke volumes,” Webster wrote in a first-person account provided to The Oklahoma Eagle. “When trolls online empathized with horses and right-of-way laws over human lives, it spoke volumes. There is a level to it that I’m still processing and trying to come to terms with.”
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunday, 31 May at 7:30 PM
Legally armed citizen with shotgun and handgun stood outside of the David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center on North Denver Avenue.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunday, 31 May at 7:30 PM
Legally armed citizen with shotgun and handgun stood outside of the David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center on North Denver Avenue.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunday, 31 May at 9:37 PM
Tulsa Police, with riot shields, chemical masks and batons, posted on Twitter they deployed to the Brookside District and later fired tear gas and numerous pepper balls after reported vandalism on Peoria Avenue.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunday, 31 May at 9:37 PM
Tulsa Police, with riot shields, chemical masks and batons, posted on Twitter they deployed to the Brookside District and later fired tear gas and numerous pepper balls after reported vandalism on Peoria Avenue.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunday, 31 May at 10:09 PM
A tear gas canister deployed by Tulsa Police to disperse crowds along Peoria Avenue.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunday, 31 May at 10:09 PM
A tear gas canister deployed by Tulsa Police to disperse crowds along Peoria Avenue.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunday, 31 May at 10:54 PM
Tulsa Police and the Oklahoma National Guard deployed tear gas to disperse crowds, who were primarily young and diverse.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunday, 31 May at 10:54 PM
Tulsa Police and the Oklahoma National Guard deployed tear gas to disperse crowds, who were primarily young and diverse.
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
TRENT BROWN / PHOTOGRAPHER
