Take Shelter Oklahoma Not Giving Up The Fight

Take Shelter Oklahoma once again lost its bid to gather the 160,000 signatures needed to put storm shelters in Oklahoma schools up for a vote.

Tuesday, October 21st 2014, 7:31 pm

By: News 9

Take Shelter Oklahoma Not Giving Up The Fight

By Jessica Holley, News 9

OKLAHOMA CITY - Take Shelter Oklahoma once again lost its bid to gather the 160,000 signatures needed to put storm shelters in Oklahoma schools up for a vote.

But the group's leaders said they are still fighting.

On the group's first go-round they were about 60,000 signatures short. On their most recent petition, they lacked almost 100,000 signatures.

“While we were disappointed we don't feel like our efforts were in vain. We feel like we heightened the awareness to address the problem,” said David Slane, Take Shelter Oklahoma.

A problem parents like Danni Legg said could have been solved with 160,000 signatures.

Danni's son, Christopher, was killed last year at Plaza Towers Elementary in the May 20 tornado. That day, students and teachers huddled in hallways and classrooms for safety because there was no storm shelter.

“On every television station if a tornado is coming the meteorologist says take shelter. These children have no shelter,” said Slane.

Despite another failed petition, Danni and others said they remain confident the change will happen.

“The confidence that I have in what we did is not lost because people understand that we need something. We need to get something done,” said Legg.

The first petition drive last fall got tangled up in politics and a legal challenge over the petition's language.

12/18/2013 Related Story: Take Shelter Oklahoma Asking Supreme Court For Clarification

This time Take Shelter Oklahoma believed confusion caused the nearly 100,000 signature deficit.

“There was so many people that said we've already done this. And I'm like, ‘well that didn't count'. And that's disheartening to a lot of people and they lose the go,” said Legg.

The group is now asking state legislatures to pick up where their efforts left off.

“You can't lose sight. This the deal, lids are sitting in classrooms as we speak and if a tornado came many of them would die, that we cannot lose sight of,” said Slane.

Slane said Tuesday during the press conference that every volunteer incited petition in the state has failed.