The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Trump supporters gather in Tulsa before night rally
Earlier outdoor event downtown canceled by campaign.
TULSA, OKLA. — President Donald Trump’s campaign canceled an outdoor campaign rally that had been scheduled in downtown Saturday.
The campaign said Trump and Vice President Mike Pence would appear only at the scheduled indoor event at the BOK Center.
No reason was given for the cancellation of the outdoor rally right outside the venue. Images posted on social media showed few people in the outdoor area.
Thousands of Trump supporters and protesters gathered on the streets despite concerns about the coronavirus and fears that the politically charged environment could lead to violent conflicts.
Protesters flooded down- town streets Saturday, block- ing traffic in at least one inter- section. Some Black leaders in Tulsa have said they’re worried the visit could lead to violence.
It’s happening amid protests over racial injustice and policing across the U.S. and in a city that has a long history of racial tension. Officials said they expected some 100,000 people in Tulsa’s downtown.
Kieran Mullen, 60, a college professor from Norman, Oklahoma, held a sign that read, “Black Lives Matter” and “Dump Trump.”
“I just thought it was important for people to see there are Oklahomans that have a different point of view,” Mullen said of his state, which overwhelmingly supported Trump in 2016.
Renee Lamoreaux, a retiree and Trump supporter from Tulsa, said that police officers had briefed ralliers, saying the event would basically be in a “big cage,” and the rest of the world would be outside.
Tul s a police say they arrested a woman who was inside a secure area outside the arena.
The woman was seen Saturday on live video sitting cross-legged on the ground in peaceful protest when officers pulled her away by the arms and later put her in handcuffs. She said her name was Sheila Buck and that she was from Tulsa.
As officers put handcuffed her, Buck said they were hurting her and told them to stop.