Suit seeks Tulsa massacre reparations

Attorneys for victims and their descendants affected by the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre filed a lawsuit in state court Tuesday against the city of Tulsa and other defendants seeking reparations for the destruction of the city’s once thriving Black district.

The group, led by Tulsa attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons, contends that Tulsa’s long history of racial division and tension stemmed from the massacre, during which a white mob descended on a 35-block area, looting, killing and burning it to the ground. Hundreds of Black residents were killed, and thousands more were left homeless and living in a hastily constructed camp.

The city and insurance companies never compensated victims for their losses, and the massacre ultimately resulted in racial and economic disparities that still exist today, the lawsuit claims.

“We’re not just talking about what happened in 1921. We’re talking about what’s still happening,” Solomon-Simmons said at a news conference announcing the lawsuit. “We believe this lawsuit will be successful because there is no question there is a nuisance created by the defendants.”

Defendants include the Tulsa Regional Chamber, Board of County Commissioners, Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, Tulsa County sheriff’s office and the Oklahoma Military Department.

Several of the defendants declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing the pending litigation.