Survivors Of Tulsa Race Massacre Appealing Case To Oklahoma Supreme Court

Survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre are appealing to the Oklahoma Supreme Court after a district court judge dropped their case. This is their last shot to get the survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre in front of a judge to tell their stories.

Their legal team said the city is benefiting while they are still hurting.

In 2020, a lawsuit was filed against the City of Tulsa and others almost 100 years after the Tulsa Race Massacre. An attorney for the survivors, Damario Solomon-Simmons, said this was an act of a public nuisance.

“40 blocks was burnt down to the ground, when over 1500 homes and businesses were destroyed never to be rebuilt,” Solomon-Simmons said.

Hundreds of people were killed, and they said the effects are still present today.

“The City of Tulsa has taken the massacre and created it into an object of cultural tourism and made tens of millions of dollars doing that and it comes back to the question of who does the massacre belong to,” Randal Adams said.

A district judge dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice saying it failed to present a solution to the problems presented.

“We have trials just to get into trial. That's what been the history of many black folk as long as I've been living and before i was born and long after I’ll be gone. For some reason, law is not applied the same to different folks,“ State Representative Regina Goodwin said.

Now the legal team is hoping the Oklahoma Supreme Court will uphold their appeal.

“We're asking perhaps for a rebirth here at the supreme court,” Goodwin said.

If the Supreme Court sides with the legal team. survivors will have another chance to speak in front of a judge. They would like their claims to be recognized and funds for their damages be transferred to the Tulsa Massacre Victims Compensation Fund.

“We know we need a miracle, but we believe in miracles,” Solomon-Simmons said.

The City of Tulsa said they do not comment on pending litigation. News 9 also reached out to the state Supreme Court and have not heard back.