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By: BWST Staff
TULSA, OK – The NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the ACLU of Oklahoma, the North Side Unity Coalition of Clergy, The United League for Social Action (TULSA) and Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons announced Wednesday that they will hold public hearings on racial disparities in law enforcement practices in Tulsa next week.
The hearings will be held at the 36th Street North Event Center, beginning at 6PM on Thursday, March 7th.
The announcement comes after months of community leaders pushing city council members to hold similar hearings into the findings of the Tulsa Equality Indicators 2018 Annual Report.
“Despite Tulsans demanding City Council hearings on the report eight months ago, none have been scheduled. So we’re holding the first hearing,” the press release stated.
Dr. Tiffany Crutcher, the twin sister of Terence Crutcher, an unarmed father who was killed by TPD Officer Betty Shelby in 2016, praised the announcement in a statement, saying “I am encouraged that much needed change… is not far off.”
Dr. Crutcher said that the hearings will bring “well respected national and state organizations along with community members from all over the City of Tulsa together to demand answers and move forward.”
The city council, which is considering plans to hold public hearings on the equality indicators, is scheduled to take a final vote on whether or not to proceed on Wednesday, March 13th.
The entire 2018 Tulsa Equality Indicators report can be found here.