DOJ Launches First Federal Probe Into 1921 Tulsa Race Riot

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Facts

  • The US Justice Department's (DOJ) Civil Rights Division announced Monday that it would, for the first time, investigate the race riot that took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, between May 31 and June 1, 1921.[1][2]
  • The probe will utilize the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, which allows the federal government to probe civil rights crimes that occurred before 1979.[3]
  • The Tulsa riots, also known as the Tusla Massacre, was an attack by a white mob against a Black neighborhood called the Greenwood District — an economically thriving area nicknamed 'Black Wall Street' — following allegations that a Black teenager had attacked a white woman.[4]
  • Over 24 hours, the mob, some of whom were deputized by city officials, set fire to 35 blocks of Greenwood, including Black-owned churches, businesses, homes, a library, a school, and a hospital. Hundreds of Black residents were killed.[3]
  • Following the riots, for which no one was charged with a crime, the city refused to sell construction materials to the residents, leaving many unable to rebuild their homes. Survivors of the attack sought reparations this year, but their lawsuit was denied by the Oklahoma Supreme Court.[3][1]
  • Since its inception, the Emmett Till Act has led to 137 case reviews, 125 of which ended with prosecution, referral, or closure. However, the DOJ last year said legal barriers make it difficult to prosecute pre-1968 cases.[4]

Sources: [1]ABC News, [2]United States Department of Justice, [3]Axios and [4]Breitbart.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by New York Times. Thanks to the determination of civil rights leaders and the victims of the massacre, the US government is finally reviewing this case. While it took over a century, those innocent Black Americans — who were robbed and killed simply due to their skin color — are getting justice. Hopefully, this investigation will lead to a broader conversation about the racism that continues to plague contemporary America.
  • Right narrative, as provided by Glenn Loury and Federalist. While the tragedy of the Tulsa Massacre must not be dismissed, it also must not be used as a political tool to divide the US along racial lines and push the false narrative that white people are inherently intolerant and the US is systemically racist. Instead of pitting Blacks against whites, poor Americans of all races would be better served if their leaders cleaned up city streets, improved schools, and implemented economic growth-oriented fiscal policies.