Justice Department finds Tulsa Race Massacre was ‘systemic’ and ‘coordinated’

Jan 10, 2025 Story by: Editor

A newly released report from the Department of Justice (DOJ) has concluded that the Tulsa Race Massacre, which devastated the thriving Black community of Greenwood in 1921, was not merely an act of mob violence but a systematic and coordinated assault. However, the DOJ noted that legal repercussions are no longer possible due to the statute of limitations.

The DOJ’s review, initiated in September under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Act, came at a time when the last known survivors of the massacre, Viola Fletcher and Lessie Benningfield Randle, were recognized.

The 123-page report details the horrific events of May 31 and June 1, 1921, during which up to 10,000 white Tulsans executed a “concerted” attack on Greenwood, an economically prosperous area known as Black Wall Street.

“The Tulsa Race Massacre stands out as a civil rights crime unique in its magnitude, barbarity, racist hostility and its utter annihilation of a thriving Black community,” said Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. She further added, “Until this day, the Justice Department has not spoken publicly about this race massacre or officially accounted for the horrific events that transpired in Tulsa. This report breaks that silence by rigorous examination and a full accounting of one of the darkest episodes of our nation’s past.”

The violence was reportedly incited by unfounded allegations that 19-year-old Dick Rowland, a Black man, had assaulted a white female elevator operator. Following Rowland’s arrest, a local newspaper sensationalized the story, leading to a mob gathering outside the courthouse demanding a lynching.

The report notes that the local sheriff called on Black World War I veterans from Greenwood to assist in protecting Rowland from the mob. However, this was perceived by the white mob as a challenge to the prevailing social order.

A confrontation ensued, culminating in violence after a gunshot was fired. Tulsa police then deputized hundreds of white residents, some of whom had been drinking, and organized them into forces that actively participated in the destruction of Greenwood.

Over two days, 35 city blocks were burned and looted as Greenwood residents desperately tried to defend their homes. Fires forced Black families to flee, leaving their homes and possessions behind, while some were pursued, taken into custody, or killed. The report also found credible evidence of law enforcement’s involvement in arson, looting, and even murder.

City officials had initially promised to help Greenwood rebuild but instead imposed new fire codes and other obstacles that hindered reconstruction. Offers of outside aid were rejected, and local leaders designated the area for industrial use, displacing Black residents.

The DOJ report concluded that under modern civil rights laws, the perpetrators—including public officials and law enforcement—could have been charged with hate crimes and violations of civil rights. However, in 1921, the limited legal avenues for federal prosecution were not pursued.

Survivors Fletcher and Benningfield Randle, now over 100 years old, filed a lawsuit seeking reparations from the city, citing harrowing memories of the massacre. Benningfield Randle recalled witnessing dead bodies being piled on the streets as the neighborhood burned.

The lawsuit was initially dismissed by a lower court, but the survivors appealed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court for the chance to testify. While the Supreme Court initially allowed their case to proceed, it ultimately dismissed it last summer.

Kristen Clarke is expected to meet with members of the Greenwood District, survivors, and descendants following the release of the report.

“This report lays bare new information and shows that the massacre was the result not of uncontrolled mob violence, but of a coordinated, military-style attack on Greenwood,” Clarke stated. She acknowledged the absence of living perpetrators for prosecution but emphasized the importance of continued historical reckoning.

“This report reflects our commitment to the pursuit of justice and truth, even in the face of insurmountable obstacles,” she added. Source: Yahoo News