Oklahoma Lawsuit Seeks Reparations In Connection To 1921 Tulsa Massacre

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In this 1921 image provided by the Library of Congress, smoke billows over Tulsa, Okla., the scene of one of the nation’s most brutal race massacres.

Alvin C. Krupnick Co./AP

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Alvin C. Krupnick Co./AP

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Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, shown here during a news conference in June, said he will not comment on the pending litigation, according to a his office.

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The Coronavirus Crisis
Judge Denies Request To Force Coronavirus Safety Measures At Trump’s Tulsa Rally

There has been renewed interest the Tulsa Massacre in recent weeks.

A group of Tulsa residents and business leaders tried to get a court to force event organizers to implement coronavirus safety protocols ahead of President Trump’s rally in the city in June.

The president’s rally, his first since the virus caused large parts of the national economy to shutter, was originally slated for June 19. That day, also known as Juneteenth, commemorates the effective end of slavery in the U.S.

The rally was eventually pushed to the the following day. But it came after the Trump administration withered a barrage of criticism from those who said the original date was another example of the president stoking racial pain and anger just weeks after the police killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police on Memorial Day.

Live Updates: Protests For Racial Justice
Excavation Begins For Possible Mass Grave From 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

In July, Tulsa officials moved forward with a test excavation at Oaklawn Cemetery to determine if a plot of land on city-owned property contained human remains thought to be from the race massacre 99 years ago.

Scientists, using ground-penetrating radar, previously said they found «anomalies there that could indicate the existence of an unmarked burial ground.

However, after eight days of searching, the city said «no evidence of human remains are present in the excavation area, according to a statement.

«This initial test excavation was the first of many efforts to find Tulsa Race Massacre victims and this is just the beginning of our work to bring healing and justice to the families, Bynum, the mayor, said. «We remain committed to find out what happened to our fellow Tulsans in 1921.

Officials said several sites of interest around the city could still be potential mass graves stemming from the race massacre.

Read the lawsuit below: