{"id":32894,"date":"2020-06-04T12:48:16","date_gmt":"2020-06-04T17:48:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/?p=32894"},"modified":"2020-06-04T15:11:03","modified_gmt":"2020-06-04T20:11:03","slug":"oklahoma-city-leaders-to-reconsider-police-oversight-following-protests-denouncing-racial-disparities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2020\/06\/04\/oklahoma-city-leaders-to-reconsider-police-oversight-following-protests-denouncing-racial-disparities\/","title":{"rendered":"Oklahoma City leaders to reconsider police oversight following protests denouncing racial disparities"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_32901\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-32901\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Protest-GF-1-1920x1276.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1276\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Protest-GF-1-1920x1276.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Protest-GF-1-672x447.jpg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Protest-GF-1-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Protest-GF-1-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Protest-GF-1-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Protest-GF-1-620x412.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Protest-GF-1-1625x1080.jpg 1625w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Quinton Chandler \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Protesters demonstrate on NE 36th and Kelly.<\/p>\n<\/div><p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.simplecast.com\/81652c9f-f889-4aee-b9ca-8e8cb4299ab3?dark=false\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p><p>Oklahoma City police estimated at least 3,000 protesters rallied to a demonstration organized Sunday by the Oklahoma City chapter of Black Lives Matter. The protesters met to condemn the alleged murder of George Floyd.<\/p><p>A video of a Minneapolis\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/05\/31\/us\/george-floyd-investigation.html\">police officer kneeling on the neck of an unarmed Floyd<\/a>\u00a0as he died sparked widespread outrage across the country last week.<\/p><p>Oklahomans joined the outcry. Residents in the state\u2019s largest city staged a massive protest against police violence demanding more proportionate policing of black Oklahomans.<\/p><p>The protesters met on the eastern side of the city, an area of town that has been home to many black residents as a direct result of <a href=\"https:\/\/oklahoman.com\/article\/2376567\/city-began-with-housing-segregation-patterns-persist-despite-legal-changes\">racist housing ordinances enacted in the early 1900s.<\/a><\/p><p>Monick Braggs stands to the side and watches her fellow protesters march down a major street toward the state Capitol building.<\/p><p>\u201cI\u2019m out here to protest against police brutality, to stop killing our black men, our black boys, our black women,\u201d Braggs said.<\/p><p>She was disgusted by the video of George Floyd\u2019s death.<\/p><p>She felt \u201cpissed, angered, hurt, all the emotions.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_32905\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-32905\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Protest-GF-8-1-1920x1166.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1166\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Protest-GF-8-1-1920x1166.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Protest-GF-8-1-672x408.jpg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Protest-GF-8-1-768x467.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Protest-GF-8-1-150x91.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Protest-GF-8-1-300x182.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Protest-GF-8-1-620x377.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Protest-GF-8-1-1778x1080.jpg 1778w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Quinton Chandler \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Protesters march to the state Capitol building.<\/p>\n<\/div><p>There were also<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tulsaworld.com\/news\/watch-now-brookside-protest-in-response-to-minnesota-police-violence\/article_8d799de6-caff-5685-ba8e-c1ae41dd61bc.html#1\">\u00a0hundreds of protesters in the streets of Tulsa<\/a>. Gov. Kevin Stitt called in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tulsaworld.com\/news\/local\/watch-now-national-guard-embedded-with-tulsa-police-as-pepper-balls-tear-gas-deployed-at\/article_fd6b803c-a8bb-581a-92a2-28d0e54d0fd1.html\">Oklahoma National Guard to address unrest there<\/a>. Other areas of the state experienced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tulsaworld.com\/stillwater-social-justice-protest-against-draws-hundreds\/article_e743cd71-42bf-522b-92ab-9f53fa95ec26.html\">smaller demonstrations.<\/a><\/p><p>Data compiled by the nonprofit <a href=\"https:\/\/mappingpoliceviolence.org\/\">Mapping Police Violence<\/a>\u00a0suggests when ranked among the 100 largest city police departments in the country, Oklahoma City police have the second highest per capita rate of residents killed by officers.<\/p><p>According to the same group, the city&#8217;s black residents are 6.6 times more likely to be killed than white residents.<\/p><p>Oklahoma City Police Chief Wade Gourley questions the accuracy of the data. Gourley claimed the nonprofit attributed some shootings to Oklahoma City police that weren\u2019t carried out by its officers.<\/p><p>An analysis by nonprofit news organization <em>The Frontier<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.readfrontier.org\/stories\/chief-calls-report-extremely-flawed-but-data-appears-accurate-in-labeling-okc-with-second-highest-police-killing-rate\/\">\u00a0found the data appeared accurate.<\/a>\u00a0Mapping Police Violence acknowledges its database isn\u2019t complete. The group says it\u2019s likely there have been even more police killings around the country it couldn\u2019t find.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_32926\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-32926\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Mega-Wat-1920x1604.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1604\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Mega-Wat-1920x1604.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Mega-Wat-672x561.jpg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Mega-Wat-768x641.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Mega-Wat-150x125.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Mega-Wat-300x251.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Mega-Wat-620x518.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Mega-Wat-1293x1080.jpg 1293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Quinton Chandler \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mega Wat said she joined the protest Sunday because Black Lives Matter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>\u2018My life is in danger\u2019<\/h3><p>Mega Wat feels more likely to have bad interactions with police.<\/p><p>\u201cIf I walk down the street on any given day, the person that I am just because of how I dress and who I am as a person: lesbian, woman, just because I dress like a dude \u2026 my life is in danger,\u201d Wat said.<\/p><p>Wat followed protesters on a roughly half hour walk to the state Capitol where demonstrators rallied peacefully with little to no interaction with officers.<\/p><p>Deshnick Lewis stood in the center of hundreds who sang at the steps of the Capitol building. He said it\u2019s time for a change.<\/p><p>\u201cYou have a melting pot of people demanding change and the only way we can get change in the United States is demanding, the same way that they did during the Boston Tea Party,\u201d Lewis said.<\/p><p>He isn\u2019t optimistic about nationwide police reform while President Donald Trump is in office, but he thinks there\u2019s been a shift in the attitudes of regular citizens.<\/p><p>After the Black Lives Matter protest ended, a fraction of the protesters gathered downtown. Around sunset, some protesters and police clashed. Objects were thrown. Police fired tear gas and other non-lethal weapons. Each side blames the other. Property was damaged but there were mostly minor injuries.<\/p><p>After the weekend protests, at least 36 people had been arrested, according to Oklahoma City police.<\/p>\n<h3>Black Lives Matter Demands<\/h3><p>Black Lives Matter executive director Rev. T. Sheri Dickerson demanded an apology from both Mayor David Holt and Police Chief Wade Gourley. The group also asked for Gourley\u2019s resignation.<\/p><p>Dickerson said Gourley\u2019s \u201clack of leadership resulted in aggressive actions by the police toward peaceful protesters.\u201d<\/p><p>The activists&#8217; demands included more police de-escalation and implicit bias training. They called for some officers to be disciplined. They want an \u201cindependent citizens\u2019 complaint review board\u201d to oversee the police, and they\u2019re seeking the release of records and recordings tied to several arrests and deaths.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_32909\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-32909\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Black-Lives-Matter-1-1920x1197.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1197\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Black-Lives-Matter-1-1920x1197.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Black-Lives-Matter-1-672x419.jpg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Black-Lives-Matter-1-768x479.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Black-Lives-Matter-1-150x94.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Black-Lives-Matter-1-300x187.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Black-Lives-Matter-1-620x387.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2020\/06\/Black-Lives-Matter-1-1732x1080.jpg 1732w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Quinton Chandler \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rev. T. Sheri Dickerson is executive director of the Oklahoma City chapter of Black Lives Matter.<\/p>\n<\/div><p>City Manager Craig Freeman has said he<a href=\"https:\/\/oklahoman.com\/article\/5663690\/city-manager-confident-in-gourleys-leadership-says-he-wont-ask-oklahoma-city-police-chief-to-resign\">\u00a0won\u2019t ask Chief Gourley to resign<\/a>. Gourley himself said during a city council meeting he\u2019s not apologizing for using tear gas or other weapons because his officers were attacked.<\/p><p>\u201cI don\u2019t think I have anything to apologize for right now,\u201d Gourley said. \u201cBut, if we start reviewing that and there\u2019s something there that tells me a different story, then I\u2019m big enough to come out and say &#8230; that I would do that.\u201d<\/p><p>Gourley defended his department\u2019s use of force policies and willingness to discipline officers who break the rules. But, Black Lives Matter is demanding more oversight and Mayor David Holt believes the group has a point.<\/p><p>Holt says the department\u2019s current citizen\u2019s advisory board may be too far out of public view. The group\u2019s meetings and most of the information they review aren\u2019t made public.<\/p><p>\u201cTheir work is happening maybe, maybe too far behind the scenes and the people of Oklahoma City need to get some kind of other entree into oversight of the police department,\u201d Holt said.<\/p><p>After meeting with Black Lives Matter activists, Mayor Holt announced he wanted to reexamine community oversight of police and revisit current de-escalation practices.<\/p><p>Monick Braggs has one demand, and she won\u2019t be satisfied until it\u2019s met.<\/p><p>\u201cJust stop the killing. Stop using the words \u2018oh, I feared for my life.\u2019 You didn\u2019t fear for your life. Stop doing that,\u201d Braggs said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thousands of Oklahomans demanded change after an unarmed black man was killed by police in Minneapolis. Protesters in Oklahoma City especially criticized its police departments relatively high number of killings of black residents. City leaders are considering some of the protesters&#8217; demands. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":32898,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[1262,1261,1264,800,1266,1265,1263],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32894"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/201"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32894"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32894\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32927,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32894\/revisions\/32927"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}